Field Journal 2

On Thursday, March 5th, I went on a walk to observe birds in Centennial Woods in Burlington, Vermont. I began my walk around 4 pm and ended my walk around 6 pm. It was approximately 41° Fahrenheit and mostly sunny with some clouds. By the time I left the sun was setting and it was getting darker. There was a layer of snow on the ground. The environment in the woods consisted of many tall trees, including pine trees, and there was little underbrush. The woods were surrounded by urban areas including residential houses and roads, from which car sounds could be heard.

On my way to Centennial Woods, I spotted one Ring-billed Gull flying over campus near the Harris-Millis Residence Halls. I saw two more Ring-billed Gulls flying around near Jeffords Hall on campus. When I got to Centennial Woods, I started by walking down the hill to an open clearing with several cattails and a small stream. Although I could hear several different bird calls, such as chickadees, I had trouble actually getting close enough to spot any birds due to the loud and crunchy snow. Eventually, I was able to spot a Black-capped chickadee, however, it was too far away for me to get a good picture.

As I walked along the path through the forest, I could hear many different bird songs. However, most of the birds spent their time high up in the tall trees, which made it hard to identify them. I could hear several American Crows calling in the distance and a few flew over my head. After a while, I came to a small clearing near the edge of the forest. In the clearing there was a short pine tree and several low brambles. In this clearing I saw 3 or 4 chickadees. They spent their time foraging for food amongst the brambles. In the summer it might be easier for the chickadees to feed on fruits or plants, but in the winter I assume that their diet must consist mostly of the small seeds and insects they might find in brambles such as the ones I saw. I also noticed that the clearing was lined with several tall, thick bushes which the chickadees kept flying back to. I thought that this might be an ideal place for them to spend the night, especially in the winter, as it is very sheltered from the wind, snow and any predators.

While I was in this clearing I also saw two American Robins briefly fly overhead and I could hear several of them chirping. I also clearly heard the distinctive "peter-peter-peter" sound of a Tufted Titmouse and I believe I saw it from a distance, although it was heard to be certain. As I was walking back through the forest I saw a large flock of at least 20 American Crows fly overhead cawing loudly. I checked the compass on my phone and believe that they were flying North West. However, it was hard to get a picture which showed the total number of crows as they were not flying very close together.

Posted on March 6, 2020 02:44 AM by abreyo