Ornithology Journal 3

I went to Oakledge Park on March 5th from 12:30-1:40 pm for this field journal. It was a very cloudy and windy day with the temperature around 50 degrees. It also started drizzling by the end of the hour. The habitat was coniferous forests with mostly eastern white and red pine and closer to the lake the habitat was sandy, filled with shrubs.

Along my walk in Oakledge, I saw the Black-capped chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Cardinal, and the Tufted Titmouse. The birds that I observed were in very different spots from my last visit, I assume it was because of the high winds. They were in more sheltered areas and in the trees rather than by the bike path. The birds were interacting in different ways. They all were hopping from twig to twig but the Black-capped chickadees were surrounded by one another more than the other birds. I noticed there were either a lot of bird songs or there were none at all. I think the birds were communicating with one another to let the others know where they were it seemed like as soon as one bird would sing a song other birds would answer back

When directing my attention to the Black-capped Chickadee they were highly active, constantly making sounds while also foraging as they hopped from tree to tree. I think that this behavior fits the small bird because even though it is starting to get warmer I would imagine to keep itself warm and safe it needs a highly active routine.

When comparing the plumage of the Cardinal and the Black-capped chickadee, the Cardinal has 1 plumage whereas the chickadee has multiple. Cardinals do not have a dull plumage, the males are bright red and I would assume this coloration is productive for the fitness of the bird by attracting mates. However, the black-capped chickadee has duller colors such as grey, black, and white. I think the coloration is also important to match the time because it almost breeding season for cardinals and Chickadees which could also account for the bird calls and the bright coloration in the birds around this time.

When focusing on the Black-capped chickadee I started playing their songs from the Merlin Bird app. When I played the song it attracted the chickadees to come very close to me. I think that their sound was enticing to the birds and made them curious to try to find where the sound was coming from because it is their form of communication. Also when creating a psssh sound caught the attention fo the birds; When altering the tones it was either altering the birds or when it was a higher friendlier ton it seemed they were less alarmed and more curious.

Posted on March 6, 2024 04:34 PM by jloyst