gracepasquale's Journal

For this birding excursion, I stayed in the comfort of my Burlington apartment. This occurred on April 21st, 2020, from 11:23am to 12:38pm. It was 51 degrees fahrenheit and partly cloudy. I live in downtown Burlington on a residential road called Hickok Place. My apartment has a large porch that offers a wide view of the surrounding neighborhood and natural landscapes. From this vantage point, I am able to see many Eastern Hemlocks, Oak trees, Maple trees, flower beds, patches of grass, and various types of bushes. It is just off of Pearl Street and has relatively low automobile traffic. Alternatively, there are many people that pass by on skateboards and bikes throughout the day. Throughout this period, I was able to spot eight birds. This included four European Starlings, two Ring-Billed Gulls, and two American Robins.

The two American Robins I saw were walking in a pair on a patch of grass. I believed this to be an example of mating selection as birds generally mate at the beginning of spring, which was March 19th this year. Birds are, for the most part, monogamous creatures, and may make a pair bond for a nesting, a breeding season, several seasons, or for life. American Robins typically remain together for a breeding season. Although I did not observe a female actively selecting a male, this is often done based on the males’ song, plumage, and territory quality.

The four European Starlings I saw were perched in a row on a telephone line. These birds typically congregate in flocks, but not so much during their breeding season. I am unsure if the Starlings I saw were two breeding pairs or just a small flock. The courtship behavior of a male Starling consists of the male displaying near his nesting site by waving his wings to passing by females.

Specifically, the birds I observed may be nesting in the upper most reaches of the Hemlock and Maple trees. Although I did not observe these nests today, this is generally where I’ve seen nests in other areas of the neighborhood. Being up high allows them to stay away from predators and other sources of disturbances, i.e. humans and cars. Whether this is an “ideal” habitat is debatable – although there are not as many trees as there is in say, a forest, this may be better suited for these birds due to less competition or predator presence.

I did hear a few birds singing during this time – I know I heard the song of an American Robin, but the other calls I could not identify. Again, it is hard to say what is a prime or poor territory because just because an area seems to lack resources, it may be beneficial in the long run due to decreased predation and competition. But if there is an instance of a bird defending an objectively poor-quality area, this would probably indicate their fitness is low. This is because fitness is based on ability to survive and reproduce – if the bird has inadequate resources, then that severely affects its ability to do both those things.

Although I did not see any nests this day, there’s definitely a wide array of materials to pick from to build a nest for these birds. The winter has left behind many dead trees, bushes, and plants, all of which have dropped debris that is beneficial in nest building. This includes dead leaves, twigs, branches, pinecones, dead grasses, etc. However, since this is a street heavily populated by college students, there is also a lot of trash and litter that ends up in our neighborhood. I can see how these items may be incorporated into birds’ nests as well as diets, which has the potential to be very harmful. Items include everything from solo cups, beer cans, toilet paper rolls, plastic bags, etc.

This field observation occurred on May 1st, 2020, from 12:02pm to 1:10pm, in the Old North End neighborhood of Burlington, Vermont. It was 65 degrees fahrenheit and sunny. The habitat is characterized by the suburban neighborhood; on the quieter side of town, streets are lined with trees, bushes, and flower beds, all of which serve as refuges for local wildlife. My journey began on Hickok Place, up towards the corner of North Street and N Willard Street, and ended by looping back down to Hickok Place from Isham Street. In total, I saw 5 birds. One Blue Jay, two American Robins, and two House Sparrows.

For this field journal, I went to Centennial Woods in Burlington, Vermont. This occured on April 15th 2020, from 11:34am-12:40pm. It was around 40 degrees fahrenheit, partly cloudy but with long periods of direct sunshine. Centennial Woods is a natural area adjacent to the University of Vermont, expanding over 65 acres. The walking trail is roughly 2.3 miles long, weaving through dense vegetation, conifer stands, streams, and fields. At this time of year plants are starting to sprout up again, so the foliage was denser than it has been in previous weeks. The trail was lightly traveled, as I only passed around four people during my time here. In total I saw 5 bird species - a Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, American Robin, Song Sparrow, and three House Sparrows.

For my next field journal, I went to the Island Line Trail at Oakledge Park in Burlington, Vermont. This occurred on Sunday, April 5th, 2020 from 1:22pm-3:00pm. It was about 32 degrees out and partly cloudy. I followed a paved trail adjacent to Lake Champlain, pines and hemlocks closing in from both sides. Beyond the tree line there’s an expansive grass field that is intercepted by the Oakledge tennis courts and Flynn Avenue. The entirety of the trail was moderately trafficked, beginning at a breakwater jutting into the lake, and ending at the Burlington Earth Clock. In total, I was only able to spot 6 birds, which I attribute to the high volume of people, as well as automobile traffic interference. In all, I saw two Herring Gulls, two Mourning Doves, a Song Sparrow, and two American Robins.

Among the birds I saw, American Robins are ones that know are year-round residents of Vermont. This is because they are able to forage during both warm and cold months – in the summer, they eat worms and bugs from the ground; in winter, they eat berries off of trees. If a bird is able to maintain the level of energy necessary for survival and reproduction in their home range, then migrating long distances to elsewhere is unnecessary and energetically costly. During this birding trip, I saw two American Robins, several yards away, pecking at the grass in the center of a field. One was more vibrantly colored, so I assumed that to be a male and the other a female. Meanwhile, the two mourning doves I observed walking among wood chips under a Pine tree looked also identical, therefore I was not able to ID their genders. Another bird that is seen year round in Vermont is the Herring Gull, and this may be for similar reasons as the American Robin. These birds I observed soaring high over head, flying over Lake Champlain. If these gulls have food available, they have no need to leave Vermont. Year-round residences likely have adaptations to maintain warmth in the winter, such as storing energy in fat reserves, fluffing their feathers for insulation, and thick downy feathers close to their body. In the warmer months, they are able to lose some of these feathers, and cool themselves down in bodies of water – luckily, we have an extensive lake in Burlington that is ideal under these circumstances.

One facultative migrant that I observed was the Song Sparrow – these birds often migrate for the colder months, heading to destinations in the southern United States. In places that are colder than Vermont, such as Canada, this species will migrate much farther, often into the northern part of Mexico. These differences in migratory distances may be attributed to body size, as smaller birds have lower cold tolerances and thus have to migrate farther. Since it has started to become warmer in Vermont this time of year, it is no surprise that Song Sparrows will become more abundant. This is mainly due to the more agreeable temperatures and emergence of plant-based food sources. However, this can also be due to birds wanting to arrive earlier to their breeding grounds in hope of diminishing sexual competition and increasing chance of mating. This may also explain why Sparrows from Vermont do not travel as far south – they want to arrive back to Vermont early. Among these advantages of migrating early, a disadvantage can still be limited food sources and unpredictable weather. Although Vermont has been warmer lately, it still has experienced instances of snow and icy rain, which is unideal to birds not equipped to deal with this type of climate. Unfortunately, I do not believe I saw any obligate migrants.

As far at wintering ranges, since American Robins, Herring Gulls, and Mourning Doves are seen year-round in Vermont, they will not be included in this calculation. The only species I saw that partakes in an intensive winter migration is the Song Sparrow. Song Sparrows from Alaska and Northern Canada migrate the farthest overall, heading into southern United States and Northern Mexico. Meanwhile, Song Sparrows from the Northern United States do not migrate as far south as birds that begin from farther north. This type of pattern is known as “leapfrog migration”, where a more northerly located group migrates beyond another group into a more southern territory during winter. Based on this information, I would infer that Vermont Song Sparrows migrate to around Virginia for the winter. This is due to the fact that these birds have already started to return to Vermont, meaning that they could not have gone too far. This distance is roughly 519 miles. It is possible that the other species I observed participated in some short distance migration, but unfortunately it is difficult to say and therefore calculate.

For my fourth field journal, I decided to do some bird watching at the Ethan Allen Homestead, located just a few minutes from my house in Burlington, Vermont. Due to my incessant habitat of talking about “my bird class”, I attracted the interest of my roommate who decided to accompany me for this day. We headed out to the Rena Calkins Trail on March 18th, from 1:20pm to 2:11pm. It was around 40 degrees, sunny without a cloud in the sky! This particular trail is adjacent to the Winooski River, 0.6 miles in length, with a designated dirt path that snakes through the diverse forest landscape of the trail. A portion of the trail opens up into a large corn field, extending for many meters. There was a plethora of bare trees on the trail, broken up by the scattering of a few Eastern Hemlocks and Eastern White Pines. We saw several people on this trail (including one fellow birdwatcher), which likely influenced the density of birds we saw. Expectedly, we heard many more birds than we were able to see. Overall, we saw 11 birds. This included one American Robin, one American Crow, two Ring-billed Seagulls, three House Sparrows, two Black-capped Chickadees, one Winter Wren, and one male Northern Cardinal.

Almost immediately we saw our first bird, an American Robin hopping along the dirt path. It was likely foraging, looking for insects or worms in the dirt. It was instantly distinguishable due to its rust colored belly, black body, and bright yellow beak. I presumed it to be a male, due to it being quite vibrant in color. I think there are two evolutionary advantages to this type of plumage pattern. Firstly, the dark coloring on the majority of the body may act as a form of defense; due to Robins falling prey to predators such as hawks and cats, I think the dark coloration allows for the birds to blend into the environment more easily if need be. As for the red belly, I think this has to do with sexual selection. Seeing as how the male Robin’s belly is more vibrant, I can see that being a drawing factor for females when they are finding a mate. A more impressive plumage = better genes and a higher likelihood of conceiving viable offspring (at least that is often what females think!).

As we continued walking, we heard the familiar “CAW CAW” of an American Crow in the distance; looking across the corn field, we were able to see the perpetrator swoop down from a tree and disappear within the stalks. I was not surprised to see a crow over here considering that they are usually the main nuisances that ravage people’s crops. We saw many corn husks littering the ground, completely stripped clean. In comparison to the robin, the crow’s plumage is completely different. While the robin’s dark coloration is more of a muted gray, the crow is stark black, from the tip of the bill to the bottom of their feet. Why might they be this color? At first, I considered that perhaps it would assist in night hunting, allowing them to blend into the night. But crows are not nocturnal. So instead I considered the fact that crows are very social creatures, and often hunt and roost in large flocks. This distinct coloration may allow crows to easily identify each other and join into these groups.

Throughout the entirety of our walk, we heard several gulls squacking up a storm. Only once did we happen to catch sight of two Ring-billed Gulls, circling in the sky far overhead. As mentioned in class, these guys have black feather tips. These feathers are made up of melanin pigments, which provides strength. This is beneficial to seagulls as they are often taking off from the abrasive surface of water. Next up, we saw three House Sparrows within a bramble; they were a bit hard to see, but we were able to spot their movements as they jumped between branches. Oddly, they were not making their familiar “chirping” sound, and instead stayed completely quiet. Maybe it is because we were there?

Further into the forest we heard the “chickadee-dee-dee” call of a Black-capped Chickadee. We stopped to find the source of the sound. After about 10 minutes we were finally able to spot two chickadees far in the distance. We were only able to identify them because we had binoculars. They were jumping around on some branches high up in a tree, and to our dismay, they absolutely refused to stay still. They were jumping around for seemingly no reason. We quickly lost sight of them.

The next bird we spotted was the Winter Wren, up high, dangling off the trunk of a tree. I am surprised we were able to see this bird due to how incredibly small it was. It scampered up the side and around the tree before fluttering to another tree, then another, then another, until it was out of sight. These little guys have a brown plumage with white barring bars all over the body. In terms of evolutionary advantage, this coloration is definitely beneficial in blending into the bark of trees. Without binoculars, this bird was almost indistinguishable from the rest of the tree.

The last bird was spotted as we were making our way out of the trail. It was a male Northern Cardinal, perched in a bush to our right, its feathers fluffed out, resembling a giant cotton ball. We tried to get a picture but sadly it immediately took off, soaring across the lake.

As far as calls, although we did hear many different bird species talking, we heard little ‘conversing’. It seemed as though birds would just send a call out into the abyss, then get ignored by almost every other bird in the forest. Ouch. Assumedly, these calls are used to attract other birds. For example, the crow we observed caw’d a few times before diving into the field, most likely due to finding prey or a crop to consume. For this reason, I think the crow may have been attracting others from its group or family to come join in on the harvest. Regrettably, we did not stay long enough to see if more crows did show up after this. As for the Black-capped Chickadee we heard, it made the familiar “chickadee-dee-dee” call. This call is often used as an alarm when in the face of danger. They add additional “dee”s onto the call the greater the threat. During this instance, the call was considerably short, indicating the threat was not too severe. There was only one time we heard two birds that may have been talking to each other, but we could not see them nor identify their sound. One was coming from the right of the trail, the other from the left. One would give a call, pause, then 1-2 seconds later the other would respond. This pattern continued on for a couple minutes.

Both my roommate and I did attempt spishing, but it seems we lack the talent as no birds approached us. In fact, I think we scared a few off. Unfortunately, I had absolutely no idea why spishing attracts small birds. Small birds usually eat small insects or seeds/berries, so I did not think it had anything to do with imitating the sound of prey (i.e. a chipmunk or something of that nature). At the time, I also did not think it sounded like a bird call or song, but upon looking it up, it seems that it does indeed sound like a type of call done by tits and chickadees. Perhaps my spishing was just incredibly bad. I learned that spishing emulates a “scold call”; that is, a call that suggests a potential threat. This attracts other birds to mob together in defense. After reading this, I can see why Allan advised to not overdo it with the spishing – that must be really stressful for these little birds, repeatedly being put into fight-or-flight mode! However, I also read that spishing may be used as an invitation to join a mixed-species foraging flock.

Overall, this was a pleasant birding trip. I had hoped we could get a few photographs, but unfortunately we saw very few stationary birds. I would love to go somewhere a bit more isolated for my next journal entry, and maybe perfect my crude attempts at spishing.

For my second field journal assignment, I decided to do some bird watching while I was visiting my family in Hamden, Connecticut. This took place on Saturday, February 29th, from 12:09pm to 1:39pm at Sleeping Giant State Park. It was around 37 degrees and partly cloudy, with occasional bouts of intense sunlight. Despite it being wintertime, there was not a single patch of snow to be seen - I have been told it has only snowed once in Connecticut all winter! Sleeping Giant is a mountain that I am very familiar with, and is characterized by its rugged topography, expansive clifftops, and several microclimate ecosystems. The ecosystem has since changed dramatically after an intense hurricane last year upturned hundreds of trees and displaced many species. This was my first time returning to the mountain after it had officially been restored and reopened. My expedition began about a half a mile up the main trail when it split off into the orange trail. This trail is usually very secluded from other visitors, and it takes you up a rocky and steep path through the mountain before opening up into a deciduous forest landscape, which then transforms into a large cliffside vista. Beyond this is another rocky slope that you must traverse uphill, and then abruptly downhill, with a small stream located at the bottom. The rest of the journey is characterized by a narrow path under a canopy of trees that winds you back down the mountain. The trail is roughly three miles total. In total, I observed 12 birds. This included three American Goldfinches, two American Robins, six House Sparrows, and a Red-tailed Hawk.

The first birds I saw were the three American Goldfinches - they were off to the left of the trail, feeding on a dense section of thistles. They were each perched on their own thistle, gently swaying in the wind, as they plucked consistently at the seeds. All three of them were in their winter plumage, a bleak brown body with black and white wings. For this reason I was unable to tell which were female and which were male. In terms of evolutionary traits that help these birds survive the winter, I had read somewhere that Goldfinches will commonly burrow themselves under the snow for the night in order to retain heat. Unfortunately, as I mentioned previously, there was no snow to be seen in Connecticut! But it was also not very cold on this day, so I do not think burrowing would have been necessary. Another way this species keeps warm is through their winter plumage - these feathers are much denser than their summer feathers which helps with insulation. Visually, however, I was not able to see this characteristic.

I did not see another bird until I reached the flat deciduous forest area - I immediately noticed the bright orange and black plumage of two American Robins scavenging on a shrub that contained a mysterious red berry. However, just moments before there were several more robins - as I hiked into this area, my presence must have startled 4-6 birds that immediately took off into the forest. I assume they were robins as well, but I did not get a close enough look. These types of fruit-bearing trees/shrubs are common food sources for robins in the winter, but in the warmer months I have seen them instead on the forest floor, eating worms and other miscellaneous insects. By adapting to the changing food availability in the winter, they are able survive in colder climates. The robins ate their fill for some time before another hiker came along, startling them just as I had. They took off into the pine trees nearby so I was still able to observe them. There they sat together; several times they puffed out their feathers so that they looked like little cotton balls, almost twice their size. I believe this was a method of retaining heat - they trapped the air inside their feathers to insulate their bodies. A little further into the forest I began to hear the familiar chirping of several sparrows. It took my eyes a few minutes to find them but sure enough, several yards away were six House sparrows sitting on various branches in a pine tree. I assumed they would fly away if I tried to get any closer, so instead I left them be. They were sitting in pairs, which I guessed to be their mating pairs. Some of them were puffed up like the robins, again to preserve heat. Although there is little sun availability in this part of the mountain, there are still occasional patches of sunlight. The sparrows were definitely utilizing this to their advantage, sitting strategically in areas where a small ray of light was shining. This is another example of them keeping warm.

As I continued on with my hike, I came to the cliff face. This is basically a very large flat rock, maybe 20x20 feet, that is tilted at a 45 degree angle, overlooking the town of Hamden. You get a very clear view of the sky, and the sun warms the rock, creating an ideal resting spot. I rested here for some time before seeing the next bird species flying high in the sky: a Red-tailed Hawk. Or at least what I think was a Red-tailed Hawk; its tail was indeed red! It is not unusual to see hawks in Hamden; I often see them circling the park near my house. However, I never paid any attention to what species I was seeing until now. The hawk was gliding at an angle, making a large arc over the forest floor below. I believe it was looking for or honing in on its next prey. Since it’s wintertime, it must be more difficult for carnivorous birds to find prey since all the little mice and bunnies are tucked away instead of leisurely roaming the forest. I would expect these types of birds to migrate somewhere warmer during the winter for better food availability.

Unfortunately towards the end of my hike there were more people, so I did not see any more birds after this. In terms of how many snags or dead trees I saw during this hike, as I mentioned before, this area is just recovering from a disastrous hurricane. Therefore, as you might imagine, there were dozens of dead trees everywhere. In fact, I could not go more than 10 feet without seeing one. I did notice several holes in these snags, ranging in various sizes, but upon investigation they seemed to be vacant. I guessed that since it was not particularly cold out, birds were not in need of such shelter at the moment. I am sure that once dusk falls, some of these species will seek refuge in these holes to rest through the cold night. Snags are important because they make great shelters, but also provide a rich ecosystem of insects and fungi as they decay. Cavities are often drilled into these trees by woodpeckers, either looking for food or for a place to shelter. Once they are done with these cavities they move on, leaving behind a perfect habitat for another species, including other birds or small mammals. Sadly I did not spot any woodpeckers during my trip.

Overall, for how secluded the area I was hiking in was, I expected to see a few more species. However, it is likely that the sound of my huffing and puffing and my boots snapping twigs sent many birds flying before I got the chance to see them. Additionally, I was traveling on a path, not traversing through the dense foliage, so I expect there were many more bird species that were not hanging around near the trail.

I observed some birds this Sunday, February 16th, during my shift at Affectionately Cats Hospital. This took place from approximately 10:00am to 11:30am, during which it was a pleasant temperature of around 36 degrees and mostly sunny. The clinic is located on Commerce Street, a secluded area off of Williston Road that is not heavily trafficked. The hospital surrounded by wooded area, front of building has two Ash trees and various shrubbery and grass. Six planters with remnants of summer flowers sit on windowsills, and two bird feeders filled with seed stand between the Ash trees and shrubbery. Sunday is the quietest day of the week at my job: minimal cars driving by, and I am the only one in the entire clinic. The building is lined with large windows, offering a direct view of the wildlife outside while allowing the viewer to remain out of sight. Thanks to my extraordinary amount of free time, I was able to allocate 90 uninterrupted minutes towards observing the birds around the clinic (don’t tell my boss).

Throughout this period, I saw a total of 12 birds: Three black-capped chickadees, two mourning doves, a male northern cardinal, four house sparrows, and two gulls which I presumed to be herring gulls. The species I spent the most time looking at was the black-capped chickadee. Before even seeing it, I heard it’s familiar call: “chickadee-dee-dee”. After looking around for a bit I noticed it was in the Ash tree, investigating the bird feeder from afar. It decided the coast was clear about five minutes later, swooping down to land neatly on the dispenser. It picked up a single seed before retreating back to the safety of the tree. From there it pecked at the seed for a few moments before successfully cracking it open, eating it, and then returning for more. I observed it doing this several times throughout the hour; it never stayed more than a minute or two at the feeder. Unfortunately, I did not get to see it do a whole lot of long-distance traveling, but from it swooping up and down I was able to see that it employed rapid wing beats, its wings up and back and legs forward when preparing to land. I saw an additional two black-capped chickadees during this time demonstrating similar patterns. Whether they were all together as a flock or scavenging individually I could not tell. They did not sit very far nor particularly close together on the Ash tree, and sometimes one would disappear for upwards of thirty minutes before returning. However, I did hear them ‘talking’ to each other during this time. The black-capped chickadees were frequenters of the bird feeders, while other species came for short periods of time, ate their fill, and then left, back to wherever they had come from.

The next species I saw was the mourning dove. Two arrived together, and interestingly they opted for eating the seed debris in the grass rather than sit on the actual feeder. This may be for a few reasons: 1) they were too big to fit on the feeder, 2) they were actually eating bugs in the grass, not the seeds, 3) they just like grass. I thought it was interesting that there were two of the doves, as I thought that breeding pairs usually are only observed together during breeding seasons (i.e. summer). They arrived very suddenly, employing rapid wing beats similar to the chickadee. However, they had longer wingspans than the chickadee, so there flapping seemed to be a bit slower. They came from above, so I assume they were sitting atop the clinic’s roof. The doves idly walked around on the grass, freezing in place to stare at the cars that occasionally drove by. After about 20 minutes they departed as quickly as they came. After this, a male northern cardinal dropped onto the feeder. It was a brilliantly bright red and remained solely on the feeder for the entirety of its visit. Unlike the chickadee, the cardinal easily broke through seeds within seconds without having to place them between its feet. After a while I observed several house sparrows jumping around on the Ash trees and heard their familiar chirping. I believed two to be male, while the other two female. Several times one or two jumped down to eat at the feeder, but they never came all at once. I am unsure if they were perhaps rotating time at the feeder, or if the same individuals returned again and again – despite their gendered differences, it was hard to tell them apart. Occasionally they would pick seeds off the grass, and instead of simply meandering around like the mourning doves, they sort of hopped. Additionally, several times they would fly to the other Ash tree a few yards away. When they did this, they would give off a few good flaps and then kind of sore into the tree with their feathers at their side, before opening them again for landing. Of all the songbirds I saw, the house sparrow had the longest flight distance; the other species either flew up and out of view or flew to the Ash tree closest to the bird feeder.

The last species I saw was at the greatest distance, which were the two herring gulls, both seen individually at different times. These guys soared very high overhead, flapping maybe once or twice before letting the air carry them, their wings straight out, perpendicular to their body. Of all the species observed, I think gulls would be the easiest to identify based on flight pattern due to their tendency to glide in the air with minimal flapping. Although it was hard to observe flight style, I was able to see various wing shapes which are indicative of types of flight the species usually participate in. For example, the chickadees had short and rotund wings with a low aspect ratio. This suggests that they evoke quick bursts of energy, which I definitely observed in their rapid wing beats. Alternatively, birds like the gulls have higher aspect ratios, which means they fly longer distances, and likely use their wings for stability. The majority of the birds I saw had low aspect ratios. The mourning doves and house sparrows had elliptical wing shapes, which explains their rapid ascent and descent. This wing shape allows for maneuverability as well as a high degree of control. I was unable to see any species with high speed wings – these birds have high flight speed with low drag. This is typical of species that make long migrations.

Despite seeing a relatively diverse array of species, next time I would like to observe birds in more of a ‘natural’ setting. As I said earlier, the clinic is surrounded by a wooded area, which is where I assume these birds spend most of their time. From there I would probably also be able to see more birds at flight. Although the street is pretty secluded, cars do occasionally drive by, which I think definitely impacts the birds’ behaviors and the likelihood of them visiting the bird feeders.

Black-capped chickadee sketch: