aharjala808's Journal

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: 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!