Zachary Winigrad Field Journal 4

Date - 3/24/2024
Start time - 12:07 PM
End time - 1:14 PM
Location - Outskirts of Redstone Commons, & pathways between Patrick Gym and WDW dorms
Weather - 28 degrees, 7 mph wind, sunny
Habitats - Primarily Urban and forest edge, semi-wooded clusters (country club). Mostly tall stands of coniferous trees, and some smaller ornamental deciduous trees

My bird watching began outside the Patrick gym, and continued through the parking lots/outskirts of the Redstone campus. Along my way I noticed a large number of American Robins (you may be able to tell by all the observations) as well as American Crows. As I continued towards the Redstone Commons, I noticed a few other birds, namely Black-capped Chickadees, and a White-breasted Nuthatch. These were mostly heard in the green spaces between the buildings, likely because of bird feeders and less human activity.

A year-round resident species I consistently observe is the Black-capped Chickadee. I discussed in a previous field journal that Black-capped Chickadees are able to shift their diet for certain times of the year. In the spring and summer months Black-capped Chickadees eat mostly insects, but in the fall and winter they shift towards a more plant/seed based diet. Black-capped Chickadees might not want to migrate, because food is available enough here to not make the effort it takes to migrate very worth it. Additionally, Black-capped Chickadees are not designed for long distance flight in the same way that other birds are. This would make migrate extremely taxing.

Common Loons are a migratory species that might be coming back to Vermont in April. Their wintering range is usually all along the east coast (for Vermont Loons anyways) as far south as the Gulf of Mexico. Common Loons winter in warmer bodies of water to help them consistently find food, specifically food they can dive for. Vermont water bodies get too cold during the winter to allow for Common Loons to dive. They would lose to much energy from the cold water, and there would be less food available. The Common Loons are coming back to Vermont to breed, because Vermont water bodies are safer areas to raise their young. The main change that brings them back is the warmer weather, and more abundant food sources in water bodies. A major advantage of coming back in early April is the readily available food, with lake fish reproducing in spring. However, this comes at the price of laying their eggs at a time of year when predators are most active (raccoons, skunks, turtles, and possibly Bald Eagles for the adults).

Mini Activity:
Common Loon: Gulf of Mexico to Burlington VT ~1622 mi
Mourning Dove: Mexico to Burlington VT ~2236 mi
Mallard: Mississippi Valley to Burlington VT ~1259 mi
Cooper's Hawk: Middle America to Burlington VT (Missouri) ~1059 mi
Belted Kingfisher: Central America to Burlington VT (Guatemala)~2234 mi

Posted on March 25, 2024 02:16 PM by zackwini