aharjala808's Journal

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.

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.