aharjala808's Journal

Date: April 26th, 2024
Time: 3:00-4:00 pm
Location: East Woods Trail, South Burlington Vermont
Weather: The weather today was 57 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny/mainly blue skies. There was a slight breeze, but it was fairly calm out.
Habitat: East Woods Area is a small, hilly, loop trail with a mixture of coniferous and deciduous trees. There are many snags and decomposing trees on the ground. New growth of young trees is also present under the canopy. Some areas are more dense and other areas are more open depending on where you are along the trail.
Species Observed: Black-capped Chickadee, Chipping Sparrow, White-breasted Nuthatch, Pileated Woodpecker (I heard its call several times because it rang through the area, but never got it on recording unfortunately).

I spent a great deal of time today watching two Black-capped Chickadees—they had to have been mates—scurry around to build their nest! The two birds repetitively took turns eyeing this one little tree, going inside through a small cavity, and coming out carrying woody debris! It was so entertaining to watch them; they were completely unfazed that I was there, for the tree they kept going inside was right along the trail. They would continuously go in, grab out material, fly across the trail to this certain little tree, stay there a second, and then fly away elsewhere to discard the woody extract. I read that these birds excavate cavities to build their nest in, so that was exactly what I was witnessing. Every now and then they would sing or call and it was really great to watch/listen.

Date: April 21, 2024
Time: 11 AM – 12 PM
Location: Muddy Brook Wetland Reserve
Weather: The weather today was 45 degrees Fahrenheit and fully cloudy: there was a slight chilly breeze and 9 mph winds.
Habitat: Muddy Brook is a wetland nature reserve that consists of open grassland, marsh/wetland, and conifers. There was a pond in the center of where I was observing, and the paths surrounding were very muddy from a previous rain. Smaller bushes lined the sides of the walking path where the conifers were located.

Prompt:

Today was a wonderful birding turnout! There were tons of active birds during my observations, and it was hard to keep track of them all, for the noise surrounded me on all sides. The noisiest bird of all today was the Red-winged Blackbird; there were many calling and singing simultaneously. Most of the time, these birds were perched on a branch of a bush or tree, looking out over the wetland. There was rarely multiple in one spot at a time, so it appeared to me that they were each trying to defend their territory; when there were two together, they would bicker. They kept on making a repetitive alarm-sounding call to keep others away (it definitely seemed to have worked). Red-winged Blackbirds prefer to nest lower to the ground near the marshy waters, so the more successful of these birds had claimed territory/nesting sites right near the pond. The blackbirds were much chattier located near the pond than those in the hidden, grassy parts of the wetland, meaning competition is more competitive here in this prime habitat. To build their nests, these birds use stringy plants and weave them with wet vegetation/leaves, decayed wood, and mud, which all can be found easily in this wetland area. Dry grasses are also used as a finishing touch, which can typically be found nearby.

While Red-winged Blackbirds prefer nesting near the ground of marshy wetland, the Ruby-crowned Kinglets prefer to nest high up in the safety of tree canopy above. To build nests, these birds use grasses, feathers, fur, plant material, etc., which would be found on the forest floor. Using these materials requires regular nest maintenance so the nest remains intact; this is much different than the solidified muddy nest of a Red-winged Blackbird. When I observed the Ruby-crowned Kinglets lower towards the ground, darting about in the little bushes, they would only make small chatters. They were very skittish and constantly on the move. However, these birds sang beautifully when they were up higher in the conifers of Muddy Brook; it appears that they were singing to defend territory, hence why I only heard their song from up high above rather than low in the bushes. There were a couple instances where I heard two singing simultaneously, meaning a quarrel between two males was likely amidst.

A favorite find of mine from today’s observation was a solo Belted Kingfisher! I have never seen one before in real life and I first identified it through its familiar chatter. They are much larger than I ever anticipated so I really had to do a double take when I actually saw it. After further research regarding nesting, I discovered that Belted Kingfishers like to make burrows in banks near water. This Kingfisher was continuously flying in circles around the pond, landing on branches of trees and then taking off again, constantly chattering throughout. I never did see it land on the ground, so I am not sure where the nest is located or where the potential mate is. I read that they mate in April-May, so there is the possibility that this Belted Kingfisher has not found a mate yet or began to build the nest. It appears that this bird was likely establishing its territory around the little pond and warning off others with its continuous calling and circling.

Date: April 6, 2024
Time: 4:40-5:40pm
Location: Red Rocks Park
Weather: 41 degrees and cloudy, feels like 33 from 25 mph wind gusts
Habitat: This area had a fairly even distribution of coniferous and deciduous trees overall, but the ratios would vary depending on where I was walking in the park. There were a lot of dead trees on the ground as well as snags.

Today’s observation was not a hugely plentiful turnout, for the time of day and the not-so-great weather definitely caused a lot of bird inactivity. However, throughout my hour-long walk of Red Rocks Park, I did hear and see a couple different interactions of birds regardless.
For the first half of my excursion, I heard almost no sound at all, which was a little bit eerie even. The entire forest was silent; there was a pleasant peacefulness to it as well though. As I was walking, I started to hear a faint noise and followed the sound until I reached a Tufted Titmouse. Whenever I come across a Tufted Titmouse, it is always when I hear them sing “peter-peter-peter”, but this time it was calling! The call was very repetitive: this bird kept doing It for such a long period of time. It was interesting to me because I did not hear any other birds around, let alone another Tufted Titmouse. It was alone, so my thoughts are that there was a predator nearby and it was calling an alarm response. The bird did seem a little frantic, bustling/looking around and never staying in one spot very long. It was not foraging for food, either, for the bird was high in a tree and did not appear to be pecking at or eating anything. Eventually, I left the Tufted Titmouse and it continued to call until I was out of range to hear it.
At the end of my walk, I heard a Northern Cardinal and Hairy Woodpecker on the outer edges of the park. The Northern Cardinal’s call rang through the trees; it was not densely vegetated and there was much more open area between trees, so the sound really carried throughout. I did not ever spot them, unfortunately. Overall, the walk-through Red Rocks was nice and, rather than track down a ton of birds singing/calling, it was nice to observe everything else around me. I noticed way more tree cavities than I usually do; there were trees filled top to bottom with excavations from woodpeckers and I am sure many birds were sheltering from the poor weather in them.

Date: March 25, 2024
Time: 1:15-2:15pm
Location: Redstone Pines Area
Weather: The weather here today was 40 degrees Fahrenheit and very sunny! There is about 50% humidity and 7 mph winds. The skies are clear.

Habitat: Redstone Pines is an area on campus with an abundance of conifers and some deciduous trees scattered throughout (but mainly on the outskirts of the pines area).

Today was a great day for birding! The weather was great, and the snow was beginning to melt, so the birds were quite active/chatty! The pines in this location are tall, so the birds up in the trees were mainly just heard and not seen, but I could see many flying about way above me. I saw four White-breasted Nuthatches all on one tree at one point scavenging for food, which was great. There were also Black-capped Chickadees flying about frequently, and a couple Northern Cardinals that were very chatty throughout my observation. I heard A Pine Siskin at one point, and I THINK that I saw it, but it was too high up to be able to confirm (that was the most I have ever heard a Pine Siskin before though, so that was a new experience).

While I mainly observed year-round species today (White-breasted Nuthatches, Black-capped Chickadees, and Northern Cardinal), it was interesting looking at some of their typical range patterns. Most of them (not all) stay year-round all throughout the US and parts of Canada. These birds forego migration because it is most likely more energetically expensive for them to migrate, and they put themselves in greater danger to new predators in other areas. Choosing not to migrate means that they have to be behaviorally/physically adapted to the conditions present in their home ranges. Feathers play a crucial role in keeping these birds warm; feather fluffing is common to trap pockets of air around their bodies. Huddling, undergoing hypothermia in the night, and locating warm cavities to reside is also common. These birds must scavenge/eat a majority of the day in order to obtain enough calories to get through the winter.

The one facultative migrant I observed was the Pine Siskin! This bird has quite the variable migration pattern, being present in areas one winter while completely absent the next! Non-breeding Pine Siskin are usually found in Central, Northwest, and the East Coast of the US, while year-round are more West and North (through Canada). Breeding Pine Siskin travel farther north in Canada in early spring to late summer, so the Pine Siskin I observed, depending on if it breeds, will be migrating north soon. As the temperature starts to warm, Pine Siskin are able to fly north where they can rely on cone crop sources for food. All in all, though, this species is a habitat generalist and will travel to any place with a dependable food source. They are known to have a very irruptive migration pattern.

I wanted to add to my journal that over the weekend I was in Montreal, Quebec; while crossing the border on the way back into Vermont, there was a strip between the roads consisting of small bushes with some sort of red tops to them. I was unable to tell exactly what it was, but there were dozens of American Robins on these bushes and the ground, scavenging for food and eating the red parts on the bushes. It was shocking to see how many of them there were, for I am still not used to seeing so many birds due to the colder weather (it makes sense now considering it is approaching spring/if not spring technically already). My assumption was that the American Robins have returned from their winter migrations and are ready to begin mating shortly. With research, I found that they are short-distance migrants to the US (in the fall) and return to Canada and Alaska when it is time to breed, so that confirmed my thoughts. It was interesting to see all of the (very plump) American Robins so active, and it makes me very excited for the coming spring when more birds start returning to Vermont!

Date: March 5, 2024
Time: 12:45-2:15pm
Location: Red Rocks Park
Weather: The weather here today was 50 degrees Fahrenheit! While the temperature itself was pretty warm, it still felt chilly because it was fully cloudy with some wind/rain depending on where I was in the park.
Habitat: Red Rocks Park is a mixture of extremely tall coniferous and deciduous trees. Walking along the trail, there were areas with more cleared/fallen/dead trees, which made coverage less, while at other parts it was more heavily forested. Some areas also contained small, rocky cliffs with lichen covering them or shorter shrubs and trees.

There was a lot of activity here today! I spotted many Black-capped Chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatches, Brown creepers, Downy Woodpeckers, and American Crows all interacting and making noise. It was so fun to watch them dart back and forth, chase each other around in circles, and sing. It also felt very rewarding being able to identify all of them myself!  There was an instance where two Downy Woodpeckers were flying around in repetitive circles, chasing each other, and it was interesting to me that they were not audibly communicating, but physically understood one another to do that. My assumption is that they were mates or becoming mates. Another instance occurred where two White-breasted Nuthatches were peeking back and forth at each other on the same tree, chattering at each other, and then another, slightly larger, White-breasted Nuthatch swooped in and loudly scared them off. It felt to me that it was trying to assert dominance or claim the tree, whether that was territory, mating, or food related. My favorite instance today though was not an interaction between birds, but a solo bird sound; I heard the “Who cooks for you, who cooks for you all,” of a Barred Owl and it was genuinely one of the coolest experiences! I have never heard an owl before in the wild, so that was really neat. Unfortunately, the owl was not seen, but I will be sure to keep on the lookout next time I go here.

I have decided to compare the plumage of the Brown Creeper and White-breasted Nuthatch. It was really hard to spot the Brown Creeper today, not only because of their size, but also because of their plumage coloration. Especially at this time of year, when the forests are streaks of brown trees/sticks and dead, brown matter, the Brown Creeper blends in perfectly with its streaky brown back, hiding its white underside against tree trunks. Compared to the brown, woody background, the White-breasted Nuthatch, on the other hand, is extremely easy to see, being larger in size and having bright white cheeks/underside and a blue-gray back. The camouflage Brown Creepers possess definitely gives them an advantage.

It was the easiest to observe Black-capped Chickadees because they often flew down from higher elevations closer to the ground. Watching one bird specifically, it was constantly on the move! It would burst from tree to tree, fly down to the ground, back up again to a branch, etc., until it eventually flew away. This bird was definitely foraging; I noticed it reach every now and then to pick up something with its beak—a seed or nut most likely. Because it is still winter (even with temperatures warming), birds rely heavily on foraging for a majority of their day to obtain the proper calories needed to keep them warm. Even though it may be warm during the day, temperatures can drop so low at night, which can be detrimental. It was clear this chickadee was determined to find enough food sources to supply it and keep the metabolic processes going smoothly. Not only was this specific chickadee frantically searching for food, but many others were as well, which shows how important it is to forage at this time of year.

I did attempt to make “pish” calls when there were many Black-capped Chickadees and White-breasted Nuthatches (and a few Downy Woodpeckers) around, but only the Black-capped Chickadees stayed put. A couple left, even. There was definitely more chatter though from the birds who did stick around, but I think I scared other species because everyone else went silent. I think the “pish” calls may mimic that of a real bird, which caught some of the Black-capped Chickadees attention; that or it is a weird sound that they feel should be investigated.

Date: February 17, 2024
Start Time: 8:00 AM
End Time: 9:00 AM
Location: Sharon, New Hampshire: I am out visiting my aunt and uncle this weekend, so I decided to do my birding excursion on their property!
Weather: It was 22° Fahrenheit (felt like 17) this morning; cloudy and slightly snowing. There were 3 mph winds.
Habitat: My aunt and uncle live out in the country; their property consists of mainly deciduous and some coniferous forest with some open land as well (some of the trees have been cut down). There was a slightly frozen river that ran along the outskirts of the area I walked.
Species Observed: Downy Woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadee, Blue Jay, American Crow, and Red Crossbill

Prompt: In the wintertime, insulation from downy feathers play a major role in birds maintaining warmth and generating body heat. In addition, these birds shiver, just as we humans do, and fluff up their feathers to trap air pockets around their bodies (I watched a Black-capped Chickadee do this today and it was really interesting to see!). Roosting/huddling with other birds is also an effective method to keep warm. With fast metabolisms needed to generate so much warmth, these birds must maintain an adequate and substantial diet. Seeds and grains are the main diets of these birds, for foraging is a crucial part of winter bird routines. Most birds will spend their mornings foraging to then roost and rest later in the day/evening. A lot of the daylight must be spent foraging, especially for smaller birds, in order to consume an appropriate amount of food. In other seasons, there is much more variability in food available (more seeds, new fruit/insects, etc.), so these non-migratory birds have to heavily rely on their seed-foraging abilities to survive the winter.

Mini Activity: For this activity today, I did not have much success in locating birds WITHIN cavities. However, I did spot many snags that contained cavities and peeked inside the ones that were within my line of sight. The lack of bird identification may have been due to the time of day: in the morning, there may have been more birds actively foraging and flying about rather than roosting, such as when they would for the cold night. Observing the snags, I noticed that the larger the snag was, the more/larger cavities there were. Many of the smaller snags did not even contain any cavities at all. There was only one instance where I did see a bird go into a cavity, and that was a Hairy Woodpecker. It was a brief visit, for the Hairy Woodpecker spent a majority of its time analyzing the tree, making calls, and drumming. As I mentioned previously, the time of day might have played a role in not seeing any birds within cavities. Snags/cavities are extremely important, nonetheless, and provide warmth/shelter for non-migratory birds in the winter. Species most likely to utilize these would be smaller birds, such as Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, nuthatches, and woodpeckers.

Date: February 8, 2024
Start Time: 1:45 PM
End Time: 2:45 PM
Location: East Woods Trailhead
Weather: The weather today was 44 degrees Fahrenheit and extremely sunny (clear blue skies). There was slight wind at 5 mph North and no precipitation. Although it was sunny, there was a lot of shade in my location, so it felt a little bit cooler.
Habitat: The East Woods Trailhead is a small loop trail in South Burlington; the spot I was located in was filled with an abundance of tall, coniferous trees; there were some deciduous trees present, but I did not see many. Dead/fallen/broken conifers and other dead matter covered a lot of the forest floor.
Species Observed: Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Brown Creeper, White-breasted Nuthatch, Hairy Woodpecker

There was only one bird species I could really observe today, for the other species were mainly just heard or too far away to really analyze. I watched a particular chickadee fly around for a while, which was quite entertaining. Its movements were very quick and ‘jumpy’ in a way, or bouncy. It would not stay in one area for very long and often fluttered quick flaps. This flight pattern is understandable for a chickadee because of their small size and habitat; it allows them to maneuver through the many trees quickly and effectively. The chickadee also did not fly for very long periods and would go from tree to tree frequently; given the habitat and the bird’s smaller wings, this also translates.

I did happen to spot a Hairy Woodpecker today, which was a very exciting find! I am also glad I was able to identify it properly based on its beak size. The woodpecker did not stay at the dead conifer I spotted it at for long, but it analyzed the tree for a little while (circling the trunk), made a couple ‘pecks’, and went on its way to a tree farther away. Its flight was swift but not too quick and (from a quick google search) had an "undulating flight pattern".

The weather and time of day definitely played a major role in bird distribution during my visit. While it was very sunny today, potentially aiding in some bird activity, I still did not visually observe too many birds up close. Many were a distance away and were caught on my Merlin Sound ID; I heard Black-capped chickadees and Brown Creepers the most, however, the sounds would come and go because they were constantly on the move. If I had gone to this location in the morning, I am sure I would have observed/heard many more birds up close. Also, being closer to the forest's edge may have led me to discover more birds, especially the Black-capped Chickadees, due to habitat preferences.