jloyst's Journal

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.

For this journal, I was at the base of Sugarbush near a residential, woody area from 8:10 am to 9:10 am on March 21st. I walked around to some conifers and watched on a porch near a bird feeder for this journal. It was right after it snowed 4 inches and it was fairly cold around 12 degrees Fahrenheit with high winds. During this hour I saw black-capped chickadees, Darkeyed Juncos, Blue Jays, and Song Sparrows. There were many Blue Jays present as well as Black-capped chickadees in this area. Out of all the birds, I saw Song Sparrows migrate as well as some Dark-eyed Juncos and Bluejays.

Normally the black-capped chickadees are not known to migrate if they are adults. To endure the cold winters in Vermont black-capped chickadees are known to fluff up their feathers to add insulation to their wings. By fluffing up their wings it reduces the ratio of surface area- volume which increases their ability to keep heat.

Dark-eyed Juncos are known to be medium-distance migrants some in the rocky mountains only migrate in short distances whereas others don’t migrate at all if they are to the east of the Apaplations. The dark-eyed juncos that migrate have a peak migration in October and March/ April. In the Eastern United States, they go Northward each spring. For the birds that don’t migrate they move to lower elevations and thicker woodlands. Regarding to their behavior, when I was researching them I found that it is common for them to overlap ranges in the winter with Sparrows and Bluejays which I noticed during my observation.
Blue jays migrate as well but there is a lot that is unknown about this species. Some are present during all of the winter whereas others migrate, mostly juveniles but some adults as well. For the Blue Jays that don’t migrate they tolerate the colder temperatures by staying in dense, evergreen forests with thicker vegetation.

Lastly, the Song Sparrows migrate and are known to be medium-distance migrants but Song Sparrows from Canada or Alaska travel the longest distance. They migrate to either the Southern part of the United States or Northern Mexico. They are known to migrate in April which it seems like they could have migrated earlier. When I mapped out the ranges of the Song sparrow and if it traveled from Mexico to Vermont that is around 2000 miles which I think is very impressive. It is really interesting when you draw it out to see how far they travel to get to their desired temperature for the winter.