maggiegrady's Journal

Start time: 14:21
End time: 15:22
Date: 4/11/2024
Location: Woods behind Redstone Campus, athletic fields outside Gutterson Field House, Redstone Pines
Weather: Overcast, damp, intermittent drizzle, 54 F, 10 mph northwest wind
Habitat: Small copse of young- to mid-aged deciduous trees, maintained grassy fields with fencing, mature Eastern White Pine copse bordered by mature deciduous trees and understory

Start time: 14:46
End time: 15:46
Date: 4/19/2024
Location: Redstone pines, pond and woods behind Redstone
Weather: 57 F, 16 mph north wind, cloudy, occasional light drizzle
Habitat: Mature Eastern White Pine copse bordered by mature deciduous trees and understory, 2 small ponds surrounded by tall grassy vegetation, small copse of young- to mid-aged deciduous trees

On this walk, I saw a variety of behaviors related to mate and territory selection. Most obvious were the many male birds singing to attract a female. Often, I would see multiple males of the same species singing in the same area, but becoming territorial if the other male got only slightly too close. I found it interesting that so many of these birds flock together (perhaps for safety), yet simultaneously compete for space. For example, I often see American Robins foraging in large groups, but recently I have begun to see them chase each other viciously until one of them moves only a few feet away. European Starlings have behaved in similar ways. To me, this behavior seems like a waste of energy, so I wonder if it truly makes a significant impact on mate selection from females.

I also saw about five Red-winged Blackbirds engaging in intraspecific competition by singing in different locations around two small adjacent ponds. Out of all of the species I've seen on my walks, the Red-winged Blackbirds are the only ones that are consistently around the ponds, showing that their habitat and nesting needs are unique among other common species on campus. According to All About Birds, female Red-winged Blackbirds build their nests "near the ground (or water surface in a marsh), in dense, grass-like vegetation such as cattails, bulrushes, sedges, and Phragmites in wetlands." Using this description, I compared the location qualities of the singing males to determine their fitness. Two males were singing relatively far from the ponds in a tree and on a streetlight, respectively. These positions seemed to be suboptimal because of their distance from the wetland ground, so I can assume that these two birds were less fit. Conversely, I saw three birds occupying either the mats of wetland vegetation atop the pond or the reeds beside the pond, which seemed to be much more preferable locations for attracting a mate.

Compared to these Red-winged Blackbirds, the Common Raven pair seem to be far ahead in the breeding timeline. I saw them collecting sticks and other nest-building materials together on my March 3rd walk, so they likely have been paired up for at least seven weeks. Ravens use large branches to build nests, then line them with softer materials such as pine needles, animal fur, mosses, and soft bark. Many of these materials are found in the Redstone Pines, where I frequently see one or both ravens. On today's walk, I saw one bird sitting on top of the Redstone water tower and cawing. Later, I saw a raven (potentially the same one) flying through the deciduous copse next to the Redstone Pines to forage for food. I suspect that if their nest was successful, it is on the water tower (or somewhere close by) and the eggs have probably hatched by now.

Start time: 16:38
End Time: 17:52
Date: 4/29/2024
Location: Centennial Woods
Weather: 52 F, 6 mph south wind, partly cloudy
Habitat: Mixed hardwood forest with some mature Eastern White Pine stands