FJ7-Reproductive Ecology and Evolution

Date: April 29th, 2023
Start time: 5pm
End time: 6pm
Weather: 55F, cloudy with light rain
Habitat: Mixed coniferous deciduous forest
Location: Redrocks Park, South Burlington, VT

For this field observation, I took a trip to Redrocks Park in South Burlington, VT. It was late afternoon, and it had just begun to rain upon arrival. I entered the woods using the walking path and headed towards the lake. After only a few short minutes of walking my girlfriend was abruptly struck on the back of the head by what appeared to be a stick at first. We soon realized it was a Great Horned Owl, that had swooped down from the sky and dove down. After the owl attacked, it sat on the branch of a deciduous tree, staring, and waiting for us to make the next move. After what seemed like an hour but realistically was only a few seconds, the owl came flying directly at us! This Great Horned Owl was undoubtedly protecting its territory and defending what it claimed as theirs. This encounter was very exciting.
Compared to other birds of its kind, the habitat seemed to be prime. I could not locate the nest, but the owl seemed to reside within Red Rocks Park which is relatively untouched from a developed standpoint. There were plenty of trees to perch on, as well as area for the owl to fly and maneuver. This indicates the bird is fit for the environment and has chosen a site to occupy that allows them to succeed in nature.
Another bird species I observed were the American Robins, which happened to be the only bird I was able to capture a picture of. The American Robin was foraging in the ground, utilizing the rain to its advantage by eating the worms. To make a nest, robins use grass and twigs to form a bowl-shaped home for their young. The materials used to make this nest can easily be found on the forest floor.

Posted on May 2, 2023 01:00 AM by lukelombardo