Field Journal 3

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.

Posted on 05 de março de 2024, 10:27 PM by aharjala808