lammieli's Journal

Date – 04/28/24
Start time – 1:00 pm
End time – 2:00 pm
Location – Centennial Woods Natural Area
Weather (temperature, wind speed/direction, precipitation) – About 62 degrees, 5 mph wind, partly cloudy with light rain.
Habitat(s) – Protected deciduous forest, stream habitat, coniferous forest

Date – 04/08/24
Start time – 2:30 pm
End time – 3:45 pm
Location – UVM Campus Feild
Weather (temperature, wind speed/direction, precipitation) – 50 degrees (~40 during totality), no wind, clear skies with sun, solar eclipse
Habitat(s) – Open field, Coniferous pine forest

For this special journal, I witnessed a solar eclipse from a field near a cluster of pine trees in Burlington, VT on the UVM Campus. Normally pretty busy with bird activity, the area fell silent as the moon began to obscure the sun. I observed Ring-billed gulls, American Robins, American Crows, and other bird species quickly flying to shelter in more secluded areas, reacting to the growing darkness. When I first arrived their movement was much more calm, but as darkness began to fall, they almost seemed frantic to get somewhere. I am wondering if they felt caught off-guard by the sudden change and were scrambling to find safety.

As darkness continued to fall on the landscape, all sounds from the birds faded away. I'm wondering if this was in response to the darkness. I did not hear a single song or call while the sky was dark. My suspicion would be that these primarily diurnal species were ceasing their singing and calls because they thought it was nighttime. It would have been really cool if nocturnal species reacted the opposite way, but I know that many of these species act more on a clock than to actual light level.

As the birds disappeared, I noticed that the squirrels and chipmunks hurriedly retreated into their nests and burrows, mirroring the birds' response to the dimming light. Despite my searching, I didn't spot any reptiles or amphibians during the eclipse. It's possible they also sought shelter away from the unusual darkness.

As the eclipse reached its peak and daylight gradually returned, things slowly got back to normal. Birds resumed their songs, but only after a substantial delay. I'm wondering if they began some sort of "night mode" and then snapped out of it eventually after the light returned. I also noticed some of the birds that I saw running away, primarily Ring-billed Gulls, returned to what they were doing before the sky began to change. I have added an observation of this gull activity to this entry. It was amazing to see how quickly they changed what they were doing in response to the change in the sky.

It was really interesting to see the animals react to this huge change in the middle of their day. A part of me was assuming that they would just kind of ignore it. But clearly, that was very much not the case.

Date – 04/21/24
Start time – 12:20 pm
End time – 1:30 pm
Location – Centennial Woods Natural Area
Weather (temperature, wind speed/direction, precipitation) – About 50 degrees, little to no wind, partly cloudy with the sun coming out around 1 pm
Habitat(s) – Protected deciduous forest, stream habitat, coniferous forest

I went on a bird walk in Centennial Woods this past weekend. The forest is continuing to become louder and louder as many species of birds are now here. With this comes mating season and territory/mate selections. I heard very loud chickadee calls throughout my whole walk and saw many of them darting between the treetops. I can only assume that these birds are vying for territory and mates by loudly calling from their preferred trees to scare away competition and attract mates. The ones that I saw clearly out in the open singing appeared to be in good territory both for food and for nesting. For example, the one pictured in my observation was sitting confidently out in the open signing. This could indicate fitness in multiple ways. Firstly, the bird must be strong and healthy enough to be able to risk sitting out in the open and calling attention to itself. Secondly, the fact that it is able to be in this good territory means it has the ability to fend off competitors who would want the spot.

I did manage to spot what I am fairly confident is a Black-capped Chickadee nest site within a tree cavity. I saw one chickadee that was repeatedly entering this cavity and, though it was hard to see, it may have been holding small debris to bring into the nest. This type of cavity nesting seems fitting for such a small bird which often finds itself to be prey for larger birds. The Chickadees are able to hide within the small cavity and use it as protection against predators. I also saw a larger nest out in the open amongst the treetops, I am assuming this belongs to a larger bird. A nest out in the open would benefit a larger bird because it provides enough space for the bird and larger birds are less vulnerable to predators. For example, one of the birds I observed, the American Crow, uses large sticks and debris to build a large nest amongst the branches of trees. These are large birds that often form flocks for protection. They would most likely find these larger sticks within the understory, especially near dead trees or shrubbery.

Date – 04/05/24
Start time – 12:00 pm
End time – 1:00 pm
Location – George Mason University Nature Conservancy Trail
Weather (temperature, wind speed/direction, precipitation) – About 55 degrees, 15mph wind speed, partly cloudy
Habitat(s) – Protected research deciduous forest, stream edge habitat

This past week I had the opportunity to go down to George Mason University in Virginia for a track meet. I took this opportunity to go on a 1-hour bird walk through some trails I found close to the school. The trails were a similar habitat to what we have a lot of in Vermont, fragmented deciduous forest. There was a small stream running alongside the path. The number of birds I was able to see in the time was significantly more than I've been seeing up in Vermont for obvious reasons.

Something I think is cool about these observations is the fact that almost all of these birds end up in Vermont at some point. Spring is in full effect in Virginia so the forest was full of birds. Being in Virginia allowed me to see a glimpse of what Vermont will look like in the coming weeks and months.

Some interesting things I'd like to note include the presence of the blue jay couple who were nesting in a nearby tree. Also, an Eastern Towhee couple including a male and female, which up until now I have never seen/noticed before. Also the Caroline Wren and Caroline Chickadee which I had never seen/noticed before. It's also always cool to see a Pileated Woodpecker, and this one was actively calling and drilling into a tree.

Date – 03/15/24
Start time – 9:00 am
End time – 10:00 pm
Location – 148 Flynn Road Lunenburg MA
Weather (temperature, wind speed/direction, precipitation) – About 50 degrees, low/no wind speed, sunny
Habitat(s) – Developed suburban lakeside coniferous forest

I took the time over this spring break to get outside and observe some birds in my home state of Massachusetts. My house sits on a lake surrounded by a mostly coniferous old-growth forest. This environment is amazing for birds. It also helps that the neighbors have multiple bird feeders.

Of the birds I observed, I saw many species that are year-round residents of both Massachusetts and Vermont, namely a Black-capped Chickadee, a Downy Woodpecker, three Blue Jays, a Tufted Titmouse, and a couple of Northern Cardinals. The majority of these species forego migration as their food sources remain somewhat constant during the winter months. They are able to remain warm due to highly insulated feathers which some of these species are able to fluff up. I recently learned that species like the Black-capped Chickadee are able to lower their body temperature during the night to conserve energy.

During observation, I also saw two mourning doves building a nest. This behavior is a clear indication of the onset of the breeding season in the area. As temperatures rise and daylight hours lengthen, these mourning doves, likely migrants from southern regions, have migrated northward to take advantage of the nesting opportunities and food sources available. I can only assume the same will be happening in Burlington very soon.

I unfortunately did not observe any obligate migrants.

Mini Activity:
Blue Jay: Facultative migrant, with potential long-distance migrations ~ 500 miles
Mourning Dove: Facultative migrant, typically undertaking short-distance migrations ~ 200 miles
Canada Goose: Long-distance migrations ~ 1,000 miles

The rough total miles traveled by the species observed in Massachusetts, considering only one representative of each species, would be approximately 1,700 miles.

Date – 02/25/24
Start time – 11:00 am
End time – 12:00 pm
Location – Intervale Center, 180 Intervale Rd, Burlington, VT 05401
Weather (temperature, wind speed/direction, precipitation) – About 40 degrees, low/no wind speed, cloudy
Habitat(s) – Deciduous Forest along a river

For this journal, I took the opportunity to do a guided bird walk at the Intervale Center here in Burlington. This was really helpful as I had an expert with me to ensure I was identifying the birds correctly. Unfortunately, we didn’t see very many birds during this 1 hour long guided tour. In total, I saw 3 White-breasted Nuthatches, 3 Black-capped Chickadees, and 1 Tufted Titmouse.
As we began our walk, we quickly heard the Nuthatches calling to each other from the trees. From what we could tell there were at least 3 individuals calling back and forth to each other. Nuthatches have a very distinct call so it was easy to tell. I guess that they could have been communicated our presence to each other as they were being quite loud. They could have also been communicating the locations of food as it seemed that one of the individuals might have been eating some seeds inside of a bush.
We also saw the Tufted Titmouse and a group of Black-capped Chickadees closer inland along the path. The plumage of the Tufted Titmouse is a soft gray body with a rusty color on the flanks with more feathers on the head, while the Black-capped Chickadee has a black head with white cheeks and underparts. Both blend in with their habitats, but the Tufted Titmouse's colors may offer better camouflage in dense foliage during the spring/summer. Additionally, the Black-capped Chickadee's colors could aid in species recognition and communication within its social groups, whereas the Tufted Titmouse's plumage looks like it could provide better insulation and protection against environmental elements.
The three Chickadees were flying quickly in and out of the trees presumably to forage for food or maybe they were just scared of us as they were quite close to the path. This seems pretty normal for these birds. I assume that most of their day in the winter is spent foraging or running from predators as long as it's somewhat warm out. During the night, we learned that they don’t move much and can enter a hypothermic state. These are very active birds so I assume that by not moving during the night they can expend more energy during the day.
Our birding guide tried some phishing while we were walking back from our walk. This ended up scaring away all of the birds in the area rather than luring them in. My guess about phishing is that it mimics the sounds of angry small birds, which could lure more in to help in the fight or scare them away from potential danger.

Date – 02/21/24
Start time – 2:30pm
End time – 3pm
Location – UVM Harris Millis parking lot
Weather (temperature, wind speed/direction, precipitation) – About 40 degrees, low/no wind speed, partly sunny
Habitat(s) – Urban/suburban edge habitat

I was taking my usual walk home to Harris Hall at 2:30 when I began to notice a lot of bird activity on my route. I decided to take this time to focus on it and observe these birds as well as the surrounding habitat for about an hour. The majority of my time was spent on East Ave in Burlington which runs alongside some houses/buildings with lots of trees in between. However, I also took a walk down Catamount Drive which follows Centennial Woods. These trees are mostly deciduous and there is not much undergrowth at this time of year. A lot of the undergrowth is also mowed/maintained. Another thing to note is that, at some points, this street runs parallel to Centennial Woods.
This brings me to the birds that I was observing on this walk. What caught my eye most was a large flock of what I presume to be European Starlings. There were about 30 of them and they had distinct black feathers with white speckles on the tips of some of their feathers. These starlings were flying together from tree to tree and occasionally swooping to the ground to grab some undiscernible food/items. I’m assuming based on the nature of the trees they were staying close to that they were eating seeds from the ground. This is what is most abundant at the moment but I assume that they probably do this ground scavenging year-round, especially when berries and seeds are available for them. While I was watching, they spent the majority of their time resting in the trees and staying very close together. I think that they probably stay so close together to retain some amount of body heat, almost like a huddle. I would guess that these starlings probably also sleep like this during the night, as there are so many of them it would be hard to find a cavity/shelter large enough.
While I was walking, I kept my eye out for any dead trees/snags. I did notice a couple of dead trees deeper into the tree line. They had large cavities in them and one in particular appeared to have been opened up by a woodpecker. From what I observed, the starlings took very little interest in the snags and preferred the larger, living, trees. Snags are important for other species though. Especially mammals, like squirrels, which may rely on them during winter. I also know that birds like swallows tend to utilize cavities for nesting or sleeping overnight.

This Wednesday (02/07/24) I went to Oakledge Park here in Burlington. The weather was quite cloudy, with the sun beginning to set. There was very low wind speed at this time and the water was calm. I went for a walk around the park and came across a large gathering of Mallard Ducks at 4:15pm. These ducks were swimming in a small alcove in the lake with rocky outcroppings surrounding two sides and a small beach on the other. The surrounding trees are generally coniferous with some deciduous trees closer inland. The trees appear to be mature, with little variation between the species. The water is relatively clear and there was no ice on the surface.
I sat watching these ducks for a while. I instantly knew they were mallards by the distinct coloration of the male’s heads and wings. They spent most of their time swimming and floating in the water while occasionally flying short distances to different spots in the cove. When they fly short distances like this over the water, they flap their wings very fast in attempt to get airborne. It’s not the most graceful movement, and they tend to touch their feet or part of their body to the water creating small splashes. Eventually, the flapping speed decreases as they stabilize in the air. However, the wing speed is still relatively fast as they have large bodies to keep airborne. The wings of these ducks are broad and pointed at the end. They need a lot of surface area to get them airborne. It is obvious watching them fly that they are built for the water and not particularly long flights.
This differs from the American Crows that were flying overhead while I was observing. The crows had relatively long wings with long pointed feathers. These crows were flying a straight path with consistent long wing beats. The wing motion was more of a row than the rapid flapping of the duck.
Overall, this is a nice spot for watching waterfowl however that was really all I saw apart from the crows. I think if I had sat a little more inland, I could’ve seen a wider variety of birds.