FJ2: ID and Flight Physiology

This President’s Day weekend, I got the chance to take a trip up to Entrelacs, Quebec and into the backwoods. It provided me with a great opportunity to do some field observations, particularly on bird identification, and flight physiology.

Date: February 20th, 2023
Start Time: 4:00 pm
End Time: 5:00 pm
Location: Lac Des Iles, Entrelacs, Quebec
Weather: 27. Fahrenheit, 7mph wind from the northwest
Habitat: Temperate mixed forest, frozen lake.

I began my observation by walking across the frozen Lac Des Iles, keeping my eyes peeled. As I was on the middle of the lake, I heard an American Crow giving out its call. I was able to hear it before I saw it with my own eyes, and then there it was soaring through the air. As I observed, I noticed that the American Crow flapped its wings two strong times at an angle, into the wind. The crow then turned around, putting the wind at its back using it to soar several hundred yards without flapping its winds. It seemed like the crow did this as a routine or pattern, repeating the same route several times.
Once I crossed the lake, I hunkered down into the mixed forest and sat in silence to listen for any calls or songs. It was eerily quiet, and I felt like I was the only living thing within miles until all the sudden a singular Black-capped Chickadee came swooping over my head. It landed on a branch above me, and we observed each other for several minutes. It made me wonder what the Black-capped Chickadee was thinking of me. The flight pattern was very different than that of a crow as it flapped its wings repeatedly, zig zagging below the tree line. I noticed how much easier the chickadee seemed to be able to maneuver its way through the dense deciduous trees compared to the crow high up in the air. These differences can be attributed to each species habitat niche and wing size, a chickadee is not able to soar through the air headfirst into the wind simply because it is not built for that sort of flight with its small wings and body.

Posted on February 20, 2023 11:22 PM by lukelombardo lukelombardo

Observations

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)

Observer

lukelombardo

Date

February 20, 2023

Photos / Sounds

What

Common Raven (Corvus corax)

Observer

lukelombardo

Date

February 20, 2023

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