samharesteig's Journal

Schmanska Park. Open field with grasses, tennis court, nearby road and neighborhood. Also bordering centennial woods. Several mature maples, ash trees and cottonwoods around the perimeter.
05/08
50 degrees Fahrenheit
8:30am to 11am
Overcast. Winds from the west at 4 mph

Centennial Woods. Forest habitat with pines, maples, oaks, birches and beech trees throughout.
05/09
55 degrees Fahrenheit
9am to 10:30am
Sunny with a few clouds. Winds from the southeast at 7 mph

04/23/2021 2-3:30pm
UVM Campus. Open areas of athletic fields and parking lots. Hedges, birch, pine, maple, oak and aspen trees. Storm-water retention pond with cattails.
53 degrees
20% cloud cover
Winds from the west

It is the time of year when birds start settling down to mate, nest, claim territory and generally come out of dormancy - it's spring! Unfortunately the birds were not very active this afternoon. This was potentially because of the snowfall on Wednesday or maybe they were just taking afternoon naps.

We did notice several mating pairs. A pair of mallards and a pair of Canadian Geese have taken up residence in the Redstone retention pond. Last time I was at this retention pond one of the goose was incubating eggs. This cattails in this area allow for these birds to nest in a hidden area. The open water gives them good protection from predators. This area also provides the food that mallards and geese rely on such as small fish, snails, moths, mollusks, grass, weeds, beetles, dragonflies, ect.

I also observed a male Northern Cardinal singing its two long notes then several short notes. Its chest was puffed out and crest was raised. It was on the tip of a branch, most likely putting itself on display attempting to attract a mate.

Along the redstone bike path there are several houses with birdfeeders. There are also hedges and brush. This is good territory for small songbirds like chickadees and Tufted Titmouse as it provides protection and food. There were several Black-capped chickadees making de-de-de vocalizations. This may have been to alert individuals from other species or of their own species that they had claimed this territory and were defending it. I saw physical conflict between a Black-capped Chickadee and a Tufted Titmouse as they both tried to get seed out of a birdfeeder. Since this territory provides food and shelter, and the individuals are expending lots of energy to defend it, it indicates that the individuals fitness is high relative to other individuals in the area.

Another species we saw was the Ruby-crowned Kinglet. This bird is most likely building its nests right about now. The nests of Ruby-crowned Kinglets are high up in trees so that they are protected from sight by the canopy foliage. The nests are very small and consist of grasses, feathers, mosses, spiderwebs and cocoon silk for the outer structure which maintains the structure of the nest. The inner lining makes the nest comfortable and warm and consists of plant material and fur. The fluff from the catkins of female aspen tree flowers could also be used by Ruby-crowned Kinglets for the inner lining of their nests.

Centennial Woods. Forest habitat with pines, maples, oaks, birches and beech trees predominating throughout.
04/17
40 degrees Fahrenheit
9am to 11am
Cloudy. Winds Northwest at 10mph

Burlington Campus. From Aiken center to redstone campus to the golf course. Urban habitat with vegetation such as river birch, eastern white pine, and cattails.
4/03/2021
9-10:30am
30 degrees Fahrenheit, Sunny & Blue Sky, 5-15mph winds

Some of the year-round residents in Burlington include the Black-capped Chickadee, Northern Cardinal, and Tufted Titmouse. For these birds, the energy costs and increased predation associated with migration outweigh the benefits in resource abundance that could be found in wintering grounds. These species find ways of staying warm in the winter through growing more down feathers and nesting in cavities. Since they stay in one place year round they get to know their area intimately. They are able to find food in urban areas or on plants that have seeds year round. They know what territory is available, who the predators are and where to nest.

One facultative migrant is the American Robin. Robins eat earthworms and insects. As these resources wane, the species may decide to migrate south to find more food. As predation and competition increases in the wintering grounds these species may decide to move back north as warmer weather makes earthworms and insects more available again. When arriving in the breeding or wintering grounds robins will fiercly defend a specific territory, betting on good resource abundance in the area they choose. The Robins in Vermont could have been coming anywhere along the east coast, as far down as Florida.

Some Robins change their diet in order to stay in one place year round. Instead of eating earthworms and insects the Robins will eat winter fruits and berries, including junipers, hollies, crabapples, and hawthorns. They will also become nomadic, moving around to find the habitat with most abundant resources. For instance if it snows in one area, the robins may move to another nearby area with less snow. Another winter adaption includes forming flocks. Larger groups mean more eyes and improved chances to spot and avoid predators. Flocks also increase the odds of discovering food.

All migrants observed: Eastern Phoebe, Turkey Vulture, Dark-eyed Junco, European Starling, White-breasted Nuthatch, Tufted Titmouse, Canada Goose, American Robin, Red-winged Blackbird, American Goldfinch, Song Sparrows, Mallard

Estimated total miles traveled (both directions) by all the facultative and obligate migrants: 21,000 miles

Echo Center. Lake, shoreline and urban habitats. Sporadic urban trees along the shoreline.
3/20/2021
9:30-11am
35degrees Fahrenheit, Sunny & Blue Sky, 5-15mph winds

Unfortunately, I did not get an opportunity to try spishing today. There were very few chickadees or foraging flocks since we were not in a forested area. The one time I saw someone else try spishing it seemed unsuccessful. The Black-capped chickadees, Northern Cardinal and European Starling were uninterested. The birds may not have heard due to the loud noise coming from the wastewater treatment facility nearby.

Spishing seems to resemble the call of the Chickadee. These birds, like the Black-capped Chickadee, stay year round. Other birds might be more likely to be curious about the sound of a bird that stays year round in an area since that bird would have more knowledge on feeding areas or predators. Copying the sound of a "local" bird might increase the chance that other species become interested in the sound you are making and come check you out. Spishing is probably only effective with songbirds or perching birds. It doesn't really sound like other bird calls. For instance lake birds would not be interested because they have nothing to learn from a bird that sounds like a chickadee. If you were able to copy a herring gull noise then maybe lake birds would be interested.

I noticed a male Common Merganser flap its wings, stick its head out of the water and move towards a female merganser. The male seemed to be trying to communicate how good of a mate it would make by showing how healthy it was. This behavior makes sense in terms of birds circannual rhythm since it is becoming the length of day when birds begin to breed. I also saw mallards breeding displays. A male mallard was flapping its wings, trying to get on top of the female mallard. I also noticed several mallards huddled close together with their beaks tucked underneath their feathers. This behavior aligned with their circannual rhythms. During this time of the year birds are spending more time being inactive, staying warm.

In both the Common Merganser and Mallard species the males have bright colors and the females have darker colors like brown. The bright colors of the male indicate to the females that they are a good mate because they can find enough resources to produce expensive structural colors. The dark colors of the females take fewer resources to produce, giving the female more energy for laying eggs and taking care of young. The mottled brown plumage of the females may also help them blend in with their nesting sites.

Ethan Allen Homestead
Sunday 03/07/2021
10am to 11:30am
Floodplain Habitat. Large open agricultural fields interspersed with sparse riparian woodland. Common tree species include silver maple, eastern cottonwood, American elm and boxelder.
Sunny with some clouds. 20 degrees Fahrenheit. 5mph winds from the north.

One way I noticed birds adapting to winter was through their activity. I watched one Black-capped Chickadee in constant motion for about five minutes. It flitted back and forth from a bush to a picnic bench with some food scraps on it, either moving or eating. Once it finished this routine the Black-capped Chickadee stayed in the bush and fluffed itself up. It looked much larger than it did when it was active. It stayed like that until I moved on. Birds like the Black-capped Chickadee, which stay in Vermont all winter, must spend more of their time resting and staying warm than being active. Based on this one observation, when they are active, they are moving constantly trying to stay warm while looking for food or eating.

Another way that birds adapt to winter is through their nesting habits. The Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Barred Owl and many other birds that stay in Vermont all winter long are cavity nesters. The cavity provides a sheltered area where they can stay warm during cold winter nights. The snag provides insulation and some wind protection. I wonder if some of these cavity nesters huddle in larger cavities together to stay warm through each others body heat. I also wonder if these birds have a way of slowing down metabolic processes in order to conserve energy. During winter, much more time must be spent in the nest, mating, incubating eggs and taking care of young.

Cavities are most often created in snags. This makes snags an important part of a forest ecosystem as it provides habitat for the aforementioned cavity nesters. Some other species of cavity nesters include the White-breasted Nuthatch, Hairy Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker and Common Goldeneye. These species stay in Vermont all winter long and need the cavities to stay warm in the winter. I noticed that larger trees will often have a greater percentage of their area covered by cavities. On the other hand, it seemed that every smaller snag (under ten feet tall) I passed only had one or two cavities in it. I thought this might be because larger snags have a greater diameter and are able to have cavities on either side of it without the cavities reaching the middle and causing the tree to fall down. As snags get a larger diameter their importance to bird habitat must also increase.

I think older forests that are more dense might have more standing snags and thus provide better habitat for cavity nesters. I saw several snags that were being supported by live trees. A denser forest might have more standing snags because the chances of that snag being caught by another tree as it falls would be much higher. A denser forest might also have a root network that is more tightly interwoven, holding onto the dead trees for much longer than a loose root network.

Sunday February 21
9:09am to 11am
5-10mph Winds
Blue Sky, 100% Sun
UVM Campus

Today my Mom came and did some birding with the class! She had never gone birding before and really enjoyed it.

I watched several American Crows for a while today. It looked like they had wing types similar to the High-Aspect ratio shape. It seems that the wing shape may give the Crow more lift and a greater ability to glide. The wing shape of the Crow was similar to that of the Herring Gull. Both had more secondary feathers than primary feathers. The Herring Gull that I observed also seemed to be gliding and not flapping its wings very much. It seemed to not be in a hurry to get anywhere and thus using less energy.

I know that crows are generalists: they are able to live in most habitats, whether that be a densely forested area or a more urban area. I wonder if wings that enable them to glide more, allow them to conserve energy and live in a variety of habitats. If they are able to conserve energy then they could live in a habitat that is not ideally suited for their needs. Another potential reason why gliding could be helpful is if the bird is travelling long distances. Maybe the Herring Gull has a large habitat or migrates far away and thus needs to conserve its energy on long flights.

Another species I observed was a Raven. This bird seemed to have a wedge shaped tail. This is distinct compared to the American Crow which has a fan shaped tail. The Raven also looked like it has longer wings, with especially longer primary feathers. This wing shape reminds me of a hawk, which makes me think that Raven wings are closer to the High Speed wing-shape. This might help it with hunting. I also noticed the Raven moving much quicker through the air than the Crow. Possibly the wedge shaped tail of the Raven enables it to break easier after going at high speeds for quick changes of direction. The American Crow may not hunt as much and its fan shaped tail might help it with loft and the conservation of energy.