Sounds & Sights of Settling In

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.

Posted on April 23, 2021 09:24 PM by samharesteig