4/22 Field Journal Entry

Today's bird observations were taken in Dublin, New Hampshire from 2:00-3:30, and the temperature was around 37˚F. It was partly cloudy day. The birds were observed in the clearings, edge woods and thick forests of conifers around my home.

I saw 1 Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, 2 Tufted-Titmouse, 1 White-breasted Nuthatch, 1 Blue Jay, 1 Mourning Dove, 18 Black-capped Chickadee.

The behaviors related to mate selection that I have seen were the mourning doves feeding in pairs and doing acts of courtship. In past weeks, I have observed the pairs of morning doves being territorial towards other pairs around feeding areas and chasing them off. There are many shrubs around that could serve as a nesting place, but I would expect the mourning doves to probably nest in the pine trees far out of reach from the dogs and predators around since they tend to be very timid.

The black-capped chickadees, were very competitive towards each other and would chase off rivals from the feeding areas. Since black-capped chickadees are so competitive, they most likely nest in pine trees near to the food resources and in nearby snags. I heard many male chickadees around singing their song "hey sweetie" , to declare their territory to females and rivals. This specific chickadee was defending a particularly prime territory since it was in a tree very close to one of the bird feeders. All the birds that have territory nearby including this male black-capped chickadee, are defending prime area because there is plenty of shelter in the trees, shrubs and other thick vegetation and plenty of bird feeders all around. There will also be wild blueberry and raspberry bushes blooming that will cause the territory to become even more prime. The birds with prime territory most likely have a higher fitness, and the females will definitely see it as an indication of their high fitness, good genetics and what they can provide for quality nesting ground. Being able to defend prime territory on its own, is an impressive feat when there is so much competition and this indicates the male's strength and dominance.

Ruby crowned-kinglets may use nesting materials such as grass, their own feathers, mosses and small twigs. They could find grass in the clearings on the edge of the woods. Mosses, twigs and other plant materials could be found on the forest floors.

Posted on April 23, 2020 04:23 AM by kaglenn