Field Journal 6

Date: April 21, 2024
Start Time: 5:56 AM
End Time: 6:56 PM
Location: Aiken Forestry Center and bike path beyond that, Burlington VT
Weather: Cloudy, 40 degrees F, Wind 8mph West, 64% humidity
Habitat: Starting at the Aiken Forestry Building which is next to an agricultural area, I walked down the bike path which runs between I-89 and the surrounding woodland area that contains houses, school buildings, and workspaces. Therefore, this area had a decent number of large trees, but also high human activity- particularly in the form of highway traffic.

All notes on observations listed in observation details

Despite the high noise pollution in this area and the large amount of human activity, I still observed a variety of species through calls and appearances. While observing, I noticed that a lot of the individuals I actually saw were in pairs. One sighting that was notable was the set mourning doves which remained together even when I scared them off of the bridge I was crossing into a nearby branch. Although I couldn’t identify the sex of these birds, it’s possible this was a mating pair and they stay in close proximity as a form of territoriality and are potentially monogamous to one another. As far as their placement on the landscape, I found it strange that these Mourning Doves were out near dusk because I usually associate them with early morning, but it’s possible they are planning on nesting nearby given there was a water source in that area and denser tree coverage.
I similarly found Black-capped Chickadees in a pair feeding on some buds that were present on a shrubby species along the edge of a wooded lot. As I approached and some Ring-billed Gulls flew overhead simultaneously one of the birds released a warning “Chicka-dee-dee-dee” cry with three “dees” the first time and four the second time. This was an alarm and may have been indicative of it defending its feeding or nesting territory. It’s likely that given the food source the Chickadee was utilizing at the time it may have felt threatened by the approach of other individuals since this location housed a prime resource going into a cold night. Furthermore, the edge this habitat provided for the birds is ideal for nesting Chickadees which differs from the mourning dove which likes the cover of large evergreen trees. The territorial quality of the Black-capped Chickadee when around good resources indicates its intention to maintain good fitness through the continued cold weather by deterring other species from utilizing the same area.
In higher density than both Black-capped Chickadees and Mourning Doves, were American Robins which were present in more open habitat. One American Robin I observed before entering the wooded area was busy picking up pieces of mowed grass, which it may have been using to build and insulate its nest. However, this grass likely doesn’t make up the whole nest and is simply used to supplement the harder sticks the bird uses for the structure. Furthermore, in residential and highly anthropogenic areas like this, mowed grass is fairly common- making it a good resource for nest packing material.

Sound Map:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Osa_t2cwT97pnMFic6rSWgYJQsVLIlPfaLbkrAQ5XII/edit?usp=sharing

Posted on April 23, 2024 03:09 AM by nlhardy