cafrigo's Journal
Today (April 30th, from about 11:15-1pm), I went to the Nature Conservancy's LaPlatte River Marsh Natural Area. The habitat includes a marsh and floodplain forests. It was a bit chilly and dreary out - a little less than 50 degrees and sprinkling for most of the trip.
Around 8am today (April 23, 2017), I ventured out to Forest Park. It is located in Springfield, MA, and has a diverse variety of habitats including ponds and marshy areas, patches of forest, and fields. It was sunny and clear, about 65 degrees with a light breeze. In other words, a beautiful morning!
It was very clear the moment I got out of my car that the Red-winged Blackbirds were in full mate-competition mode. I could hear no less than 10 males singing, and witnessed multiple intraspecific territorial disputes. Two males would posture at each other, flashing their shoulder patches, and one would ultimately chase the other off into the brush. The marshy areas near the entrance of the park were lush and fragmented; it seemed as though the males were each defending individual "patches" of territory. There was one male in particular that I watched defend the largest patch in the area, and there was a female foraging on the edge of that marsh. This indicates to me that he was one of the more dominant males in the area.
I also saw a Mute Swan sitting on her nest, and her mate displayed aggressive territoriality. He chased off any Canada Geese that landed in the pond they were nesting in, and I watched him posture and call at them - he would follow them around, arching his wings and would occasionally half-take off, standing up and beating his wings, splashing water as he extended his neck and let out loud, deep squawks.
I had the opportunity to see another really special breeding-season moment; because of a tip from some people out walking their dogs, I learned about a Great Horned Owl and and her two babies living in an eastern white pine stand nearby. This was the first time I've ever seen a wild owl up close and personal - the mother was infinitely patient, and there were at least 10 other people around staring at her, photographing her, and talking to one another. She mostly eyed their small dogs, which certainly benefited those of us who wanted a good look at her face!
The diverse habitats (from cattail marshes to pine stands) and breeding season drama made this a particularly exciting excursion!
Today, April 16th, I explored the area near Shelburne Bay Park. What was supposed to be a stormy, gloomy day turned out to be sunny and beautiful! It was about 75 degrees while I was out. The areas I explored included marshy habitat, mixed tree stands, and open water.
This morning (April 5th, 2017), I visited Burlington's "Urban Reserve" along the waterfront at about 10:45am. It was about 45 degrees and overcast, but the birds didn't seem to mind! There was lots of activity near the skate park, especially from some singing Northern Cardinals and Song Sparrows. Some of the more exciting species that I saw today were a Pileated Woodpecker and four Common Mergansers.
I called over about 5 Black-capped Chickadees with some pishing, and was able to spend some time watching them forage and call to one another. These birds are nomigratory residents who are well-equipped to deal with the Vermont winter. They nest in cavities, which keep them dry and protected from the wind. They're also able to feed on a wide variety of different resources, and in the winter they can rely heavily on seeds and plant matter to subsist. The advantages to staying up north through the cold season include better access to nesting sites, a potential earlier start to the breeding season, and avoidance of the physical toll of migration.
There's a possibility that the Song Sparrows I encountered were migrants; we are located at the northern edge of their winter range (according to AllAboutBirds). Despite the high cost, migration has its benefits; these birds could potentially have avoided some of the harsher cold weather and may have had access to better forage further south. Longer photoperiod and warmer weather may have contributed to their arrival (if they were, in fact, migrants).
As the weather continues to warm, I look forward to encountering more species!
This morning (Saturday, March 18th) at around 9:30 I drove out to Fannie Stebbins Memorial Wildlife Refuge. It was a chilly morning - around 30 degrees - but clear and sunny. I grew up driving through this area with my dad on saturday mornings, and knew I would see many familiar faces. When I arrived, there were about a dozen other people out birding; by the time I left, that number had doubled. Because many birders bring food along with their binoculars and telephoto lenses, the behavior of the birds was strongly affected by our presence even before I started pishing.
The first thing I noticed when I left my car was that there was an absolute symphony of calls; in my last two excursions, weather has been suboptimal. Today was completely different, and the abundance of birds seemed a testament to that. I could immediately pick out more than half a dozen species, the most prominent of which was the Red-Winged Blackbird. It seemed as though everywhere I looked I could spot a vibrant red and yellow shoulder badge. These birds did not respond favorably to my pishing, and as soon as I started they began to fly away and vocalize alarm calls. However, it did summon a curious Black-capped Chickadee and elicit alarm calls (without flight) from a Blue Jay and a Northern Cardinal. I think the pish is meant to sound like a distress call, although mine definitely left a bit to be desired.
In addition to seeing how the birds interacted with me, I also witnessed many inter- and intra-specific bird interactions. I watched a group of Canada Geese attempt to steal food from a gull. They postured and honked, spreading their wings, stretching their necks, and following the gull. Oddly enough, the gull didn't give up his prize; he just kept walking away with the food, and after about 15 feet the Canada Geese gave up and turned around. The local birders apparently keep them well-fed enough that it wasn't worth any more bullying than that! I also noticed a dramatic lack of territoriality in another species; I saw 5 male Northern Cardinals eating from the same pile of bird seed, all within about a 6 foot radius. It struck me that the birders' behavior (of spreading seed and exponentially increasing food quality/forage density) is almost certainly shifting birds' social behaviors in areas like this refuge. However, the group foraging behavior is economic in this instance, and phenologically speaking it's likely too early for competition for mates to be high enough to warrant energy-intensive territoriality.
The striking red plumage of the male Northern Cardinals stood in stark contrast to the white snow and blue sky; it also stood in contrast to many other species that I saw. Song sparrows seemed to blend into the background, their neutral brown stripes blending in perfectly with stems and branches. Mourning Doves' soft beiges blurred against the sandy soil and the leaf litter covering the ground. In contrast, the male Northern Cardinals were displaying vibrant plumage that's likely more influenced by sexual selection than by predation on an evolutionary timescale.
Earlier this morning (March 7th, 2016), I ventured out to Arms Forest behind Burlington High School. When I arrived, it was chilly and quite windy; for the first half hour, I had minimal luck spotting any birds. Calls were distorted by the wind, and it seemed like there were more sounds from tree branches rubbing together than from birds. Moreover, the overcast sky made everything look washed out - I'm not sure I would've been able to definitively ID many birds in those conditions anyway!
Thankfully, I did eventually hear some American Crows, Black-Capped Chickadees, and Northern Cardinals. After about an hour of minimal observations, I began to wander back toward the parking lot. As I was entering an area beneath a canopy clearing, I looked up and saw what I believe was a Cooper's Hawk. I identified it by its broad wings, its size, its long, almost rectangular tail, and its brown and white plumage. Unfortunately I couldn't get a picture, but I did some digging through my field guide and believe I've ID'ed it correctly. After seeing the hawk, I decided that I should wander down to North Beach (the direction s/he had come from).
The beach was incredibly windy, which, while not surprising, made me worry that I wouldn't have any luck with sightings. However, almost immediately I saw three Herring Gulls enjoying the icy breeze. There was also a crow settled in a tree. On my way back from the beach, just as I was about to cross under the bridge, I saw one of the highlights of this excursion: a group of American Robins foraging on Rhus typhina flowers. There were at least a dozen of them, all pulling at the densely clustered seeds of the staghorn sumac. These flowers probably make excellent winter forage because they are so persistent and abundant along edges.
Eating these foods is a behavioral adaptation that allows winter survival. I also witnessed a crow fluffing up its feathers to help insulate it from the cold. The habit of nesting in protected cavities in snags can also help birds remain at safe body temperatures. I counted eleven snags on my path, but only found one of them to be occupied (through the rap test). Unfortunately, it was not occupied by a bird - instead, I found a domestic cat! It was a fun reminder of the myriad of unexpected ways that organisms can overlap in their interactions with the world around them.
Many of the snags I saw had clear evidence of woodpeckers. Particularly large snags tended to have larger cavities that looked like the result of a Pileated Woodpecker's work. There didn't, however, appear to be any strong correlation between snag abundance and bird abundance at this particular time.
I made my first field observations in Centennial Woods on Wednesday, February 15th. I chose this location because I know there are many familiar bird species there and I know the woods fairly well - this made it a great place to begin my birding adventures!
It began to snow about halfway through the late morning outing, so conditions were not ideal. I would probably have seen more movement earlier in the morning on a clear, slightly warmer day. When I first entered the woods, the only songs that greeted me were coming from a group of excited children playing in the snow; they seem to have scared the birds off, so I traveled deeper into the woods. When I couldn't hear the kids anymore, I stopped to listen for a while. Gradually, I began to hear the voices of a few Black-capped Chickadees. I walked in their direction, hoping to catch a glimpse of them. Instead, other birds began to chirp and call; I could pick out at least 2 Blue Jays, several Black-capped Chickadees, and even a White-breasted Nuthatch.
I came across several skiers and a few dogs over the course of the bird walk, which unfortunately probably reduced my chances of seeing birds. However, I did get the chance to see a large group of American Robins (24, by my count - I watched flock to a tree).
This provided an opportunity to observe some flight patterns; the American Robins seemed to flap frenetically and then glide for a second, flap, then glide for a second. It was sort of a cyclical rather than continuous flight habit. I also noticed that as they took off, they spread their tail feathers once or twice to help themselves lift off of the branch. I was also able to spend some time watching American crows fly overhead; they have a relatively slow, rhythmic wingbeat. Their primary flight feathers were also somewhat slotted, so they could flap more slowly than the American Robins did.
My simple activity sketch was of a Black-Capped Chickadee, and the most striking identifying characteristics were the dark black cap and the bright white cheek. The size of the bird was also a good clue; Black-capped Chickadees are small, and one of the birds whose shape I know best because I grew up seeing them every day.
