Field Journal 1

Date: 02/08/2024
Start time: 3:00 pm
End time: 4:00 pm
Location: first started at UVM Green and walked to Redstone Forest
Weather: 8°C, sunny, no wind, no precipitation
Habitats: park several trees, birds observed in pine trees, area surrounded by roads (either pedestrian trails or roads with vehicles).

Species list:
-Black-capped Chickadee (4)
-American Crow (1)
-House Finch (only heard – 1)

During my walk, I mainly observed Black-capped Chickadees. If I had to describe their flight pattern, I would say that it resembles a roller coaster. They flap their wings in short bursts that are alternated with intervals in which the wings are folded against the body, creating this roller coaster effect that is easy to recognize. I have spent a good amount of time trying to photograph them, but they move so fast when they are in trees that I struggled to get a shot. They are super active and look curious. I like how they move everywhere; they are to me quite chaotic. I saw 2 of them when I was walking on my way to Redstone and they were responding to each other using their Chi-cka-dee-dee-dee sound, it was quite amusing to observe.

Black-capped Chickadee was the only species I saw up close, but I observed one American crow flying from fare. It has a much larger body compared to the Chickadees and its flight is much calmer. It didn’t do as many wing beats and traveled longer distances. Its flight was relatively straight and direct. It also flew at higher altitudes compared to the Chickadee. I suppose the difference between the flight patterns in these two species depends on their different size and foraging behavior.

Wing shape and flight style are correlated with habitat as the bird needs different degrees of maneuverability depending on its niche. Species like Black-capped Chickadees need to be able to change direction and maneuver between branches easily whereas a crow has wings that are more adapted to open areas and help it fly longer distances.

Going birding in the middle of the afternoon might not be the best time of the day to make some observations. I think the conditions were ideal for winter, not too cold and sunny. But I think that I would have more luck if I were going in the early morning when the daylight just appeared. I also think being next to urban areas might have negatively influenced my observations. I probably missed some birds due to the outside noise of cars and people.

Posted on February 9, 2024 08:57 PM by maudmarmo