mfletch237's Journal
Date: 4/25/2024
Time: 4:15pm-5:15pm
Location: Centennial Woods Natural Area
Weather: Sunny, 46 degrees F, slight breeze
Habitat: Mixed deciduous/hardwood medium growth forest - low volume stream/wetland area
Observation list:
Location: Delta Park, Colchester, VT
Date: 4/21/2024
Time: 2:30pm-3:30pm
Weather: 43 degrees F, partly cloudy, mild breeze
Habitat: marshy/wetland forest edge along Winooski River – very close to the mouth of the Winooski
Observation List:
What behaviors (visual and aural) are you seeing that are related to mate selection, nest selection, or territory selection? Where, specifically, on the property might some of your observed species be nesting? How do these habitat requirements differ from species to species?
During the hour spent at Delta Park, I observed a Mallard mating pair and two Canada Goose mating pairs swimming around the river. The Canada Goose pairs were calling loudly, maybe because I was approaching their area with my birding partner, maybe because they were calling to the rest of their flock for whatever reason. They were swimming around, eating some bugs in the water along the way. The Mallard mating pair were less vocal and had landed on the water after flying over the river. The female was swimming farther ahead with the male trailing behind her. They may have been looking for a place to make a nest along the river or looking for a pre-existing nest. The geese and ducks would be nesting along or at least near the water probably with some nearby vegetation to provide some cover for their nests. This habitat requirement for waterfowl would differ from the like of perching birds that prefer to make their nests in trees. This difference is because of body size differences (it would be difficult for large geese to make nests in trees) and because of food source differences (why would a duck make a nest in a tree if all of their food sources were in/on the water?).
Find a bird that may be defending a territory (i.e.. singing). Is it defending a prime or poor territory compared to other members of its species? What might this indicate about that birds’ fitness?
The Red-winged Blackbirds were very vocal in this area with several of them calling repeatedly throughout the hour that I was there. This area of Delta Park was very marshy with only the trail section above water. There were many flying insects available for the birds to eat, lots of nest-building materials on the ground, and many other bird species that the Red-winged Blackbirds may feel threatened by. I’m not sure how many soft-bodied bugs and insects have showed up so far this spring, but they may be appearing more and more, and the birds may be more territorial with this new food source. These blackbirds seemed to be relatively fit for their habitat because they were successfully defending their prime territory from other members of their species (or other species that require similar conditions)
Pick a different bird and describe what it may be using to build or line its nest. Where, specifically, would it have to go to acquire these materials?
There were several American Robin individuals foraging on the forest floor looking for food and possibly nesting material. Robins use twigs, long fibrous vegetation, and sometimes mud in their nests, and Delta Park is rich in all three. Mud is everywhere along the trail and the riverbanks. Twigs are more readily available than long fibrous vegetation, but there are still some remnants of different grasses and such left in the understory from last summer and fall that could be foraged for nest building.
Side note: I'm pretty sure I added my observations to the UVM Ornithology project, but I can't seem to confirm it for myself after I've uploaded them.
Location: Colchester Causeway
Date: 4/7/2024
Start time: 10:40AM
End time: 11:40AM
Habitat type: deciduous forest edge (some marshy floodplain) / freshwater lake shore nearby – frequent human activity and environmental management
Weather: Sunny, consistent crosswind (relative to the path), ~ 38 degrees F
Observations - I'm terrible at being a quick photographer so I don't have any photos of these. My attempts at taking pictures through my binoculars are pitiful also.
Linked as iNat auditory observations:
Date: 3/22/2024
Time: 4:45PM – 5:45PM
Location: Golf Course at Burlington Country Club
Habitat: patchy, young mixed forest, large open fields (golf course) between patches, high human presence, and nearby roads
Weather: 29 F , overcast and breezy
Species List:
Prompt:
The resident birds are rather small in size and don’t require large food sources (large like fish or other birds), and are generally foragers. These birds probably go into facultative hypothermia fairly frequently to survive the cold Vermont winters if they don’t hibernate. Facultative migrants are coming from southern regions that had warmer weather during the winter and are heading to their breeding ranges farther north now that it’s a bit warmer and food sources like insects, plants/berries, and fish are becoming more abundant. Merlin are obligate migrants, so they must be coming to Burlington in early April to claim their breeding grounds and have more food (other birds) available before other carnivorous birds show up.
Mini Activity- Frequent Flyer:
Black-capped Chickadee: 0 miles
Northern Cardinal: 0 miles
American Robin: 0 miles
Tufted Titmouse: 0 miles
Merlin: ~1200 miles
Canada Goose: 850 miles (maybe?)
Common Grackle: 120 miles ?
Song Sparrow: 0 miles
Total miles traveled: 2170 miles
Morgan Fletcher
Date: 3/3/2024
Location: Shelburne Bay Natural Area
Start time: 12:34PM
End time: 1:30PM
Weather: 43 degrees F, overcast with some fog, breezy
Habitat: freshwater lakefront, rocky shoreline with few sand beaches, forest inland
Hiking trails through mixed hardwood/evergreen forest and spots for beaching dinghies along shoreline – moderate human activity
Observation list:
Heard:
o American Crow (5+ individuals)
o Gull (possibly Ring-billed ?) (2+)
o Blue Jay (2+ individuals)
o Red-bellied Woodpecker (1 individual)
o Black-capped Chickadee (5+ individuals)
Seen:
o Mallard (4 males and 4 females in a group)
o Goldeneye flock (~15 individuals)
o Gulls
o American Crow (one very large one in the parking lot and 3-4 flying overhead)
Notes:
o There was a man on the shore making duck calls but seemed to be unsuccessful at attracting anything
o A red squirrel was particularly vocal along the trail and sounded a lot like a songbird
Prompts:
The birds I observed in the woods (Red-bellied Woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadee, and Blue Jay) were vocalizing a lot (one after another). I think they may have been communicating their territory to other species in the area. They also could have been communicating to potential mates since residential birds are mating or starting to mate around now. I couldn’t see any of these birds since the forest was moderately dense and there weren’t many individuals present, but I don’t think they were interacting physically at all.
The plumage of the Mallards and that of the American Crows I saw were significantly different in composition, color, shape, size, and function. The male Mallards had more decorative coloring with their green iridescent head feathers while the American Crow individuals were all black. The Mallard feathers are specialized to be more waterproof and to keep the body warm while in the cold winter waters. Crow feathers can be water resistant, but not nearly as much as waterfowl.
The small flock of Mallards seemed to be resting and diving under the water searching for food during this time. This was probably the warmest time of the day and the least foggy, so the birds were out trying to find food to stay warm. The blood coming from their legs to their main body was probably very cold, so fueling while they’re in the water is important for maintaining a regular internal temperature.
Considering that the flock was exactly half male and half female, they were probably engaging in some courting/mating behaviors as well. I don’t know much about mating behaviors in birds yet, but it makes sense given the time of year.
Date: 2/15/2024
Time: 10:00AM – 11:00AM
Location: Trinity Woods (behind Farrell Hall)
Weather: 20 degrees F, clear and sunny but shaded in the woods, little to no wind
Habitat: mixed deciduous/evergreen forest, small stream and frozen pond nearby, moderately regular human activity
Species list:
Many of the species I saw were fairly plump in their main body indicating they may have put on some extra body fat to retain heat. Few birds came down from the middle and upper canopy to the ground presumably to avoid contacting the cold ground/snow. The birds I observed were very active for most of my time there with frequent movement and call/song-making. Towards 11:00AM, though, the activity died down drastically. I’m thinking that these birds only spend a small amount of time flying around and feeding during the winter to help preserve energy and body heat. Since it was very cold, the songbirds were probably searching for nuts and berry remnants in the trees. In other seasons, there would be a greater insect population for the birds to feed on. The Red-bellied Woodpecker was probably looking for insects inside the tree and making a hole for a nest. I didn’t see the woodpecker, but I heard its call several times and think there may have been two individuals either communicating to mate or having a territorial dispute. The other birds would likely overnight in the trees with good coverage from the wind (like firs and spruces) to help retain heat. I heard a lot of activity up in the canopies of evergreen trees here.
There weren’t many snags in Trinity Woods that could see, but snags would be a good feature to have there. Snags are a great nesting area for woodpeckers and insects. The dead wood is easier for woodpeckers to chip away, and insects don’t experience the chemical defenses of the tree because it’s dead. The woodpecker (and other birds) can then eat the insects in the snag, and other birds can occupy vacant woodpecker holes. Mammals like bats and squirrels can also use snags for nesting and as a food source (insects).
Observation date: 2/4/2024
Location: Salmon Hole
Start time: 3:50PM
End time: 4:45PM
Weather: clear sky, sunny in the low 30s – a breezes of 4mph NNE
Habitat: open deciduous forest along Salmon Hole trail (frequent human activity) – more shrub brush along the banks of the river.
My exact location was along the Burlington Wildways trail at Salmon Hole, about 500 feet from the rock jut-out that most people visit there. The forest seemed to be a maturing deciduous stand with some downed trees and few standing dead trees. There was only snow/ice along the trail, and the rest of the forest had dead leaves and other debris. I saw several bird nests in the trees but could not see if they were in use or not. There were not many mammals that I could see; the location was pretty deserted from what I could tell. I’m guessing that it was too cold and there wasn’t enough food easily available there for animals to want to visit.
I figured that dusk by the water would be an OK time to bird, but the forest was not as sunny and the temperature not as warm as I anticipated. There was also little cover from the wind and little food sources that I could see. During this period, I had only two bird observations: one male Northern Cardinal that I couldn’t record fast enough (both its call and its image) and a flock of ~11 ducks. The picture I took also isn’t very good, but I think they may be Mallard ducks because you can see (if you zoom in) the white ring around their neck, a brown neckerchief-looking patch on the upper chest, and light underbelly.
In flight, they were flapping their wings rapidly and turning in circles, probably to find a spot to rest for the night. Their wing shapes looked like they had a medium-to-high aspect ratio and were very smooth and angular in shape (no slotted feathers). Ducks have a higher wing load than songbirds and arboreal species, so it makes sense that they need a high aspect ratio to help increase lift while flying.
** drawings submitted on brightspace
*** I submitted everything on Brightspace on time but I was confused on what we were supposed to log on iNat!
