FJ7 - Oakledge Park Watching

On Wednesday, April 23rd I went to Oakledge Park to observe birds. I went from 3:35pm-5:05pm. It was very sunny, blue sky and no clouds. It was a whopping 48 degrees Fahrenheit. Only a slight breeze every now and again. I walked through the paths to the right of the building and sat a little off the trail. The habitat is not fragmented but there are a lot of trails and human interruptions.

As far as nesting, I think I saw a nest in a tall pine tree. I'm thinking a bird would choose that spot because it gives them the ability to overlook the area without other trees in the way to watch for predators. I also observed some dead trees with little hollow holes in them. I think that smaller birds choose to nest in these. It provides protection from weather and larger predators. But may also be a nest for chipmunks or squirrels. I did not see many birds (but I could hear them, so frustrating) so I did not observe much behavior. I think birds nesting around Oakledge Park will use small twigs and leaves to build a nest. There is a lot of debris on the forest floor.

I was able to hear a woodpecker twice, I am not sure if it was the same one both times I heard it. I saw a single Herring Gull flying in a large circle every twenty minutes. I think this is either because it was bored or it was to protect a nest/look for resources. Then I saw one Black-capped Chickadee hopping around on a few branches before it flew away out of sight. I observed two birds flying quickly between the trees, too quick for my beginner eye. A few minutes before I left I spotted two Canadian geese flying together over the water.

I heard many loud and aggressive calls throughout my time, but also heard many soft and sweet little chirps. I think the loud calls may have to do with territorial actions, but also could be to attract a mate that may not be close. It is hard to diagnose this because I could not see the birds, so I wasn't able to look at their behavior. I think that the soft little chirps may have been a playful thing, like a bird version of hide-and-seek.

I enjoyed doing the sound map. I had to chuckle at myself a few times trying to draw squiggles that described what I was hearing. A lot harder than I anticipated. I was surrounded by birds, they were just out of sight. It is hard for my untrained eye to spot birds, even though I hear where they are.

Posted on April 24, 2020 03:10 AM by aalderman