Sunday, February 16 - Centennial Woods in Burlington Vermont (14:30 - 16:00)

Birds were observed from 14:30 - 16:00 on Sunday, February 16 in Centennial Woods in Burlington Vermont. The weather was 36 degrees F, partly cloudy, and winds were blowing 13mph south. Centennial Woods is a forested area within the city of Burlington. The area of Centennial Woods where the birds were observed had a roughly even ratio of deciduous and coniferous trees. Most of the trees were tall with heights of about 30 feet or higher. There was minimal underbrush and snow on the ground as well.
Numerous American Crows were observed flying over the forest during my time at Centennial Woods. Three groups, with at least 20 American Crows in each group, flew over the area where I was walking. All of the crows were flying south, and none were observed flying below the tops of any trees. The observed flight patterns of the crows consisted of nearly constant flapping and a bit of gliding with their wings spread wide. Their wings appeared to move with an elliptical pattern. Also, their wings had somewhat of an elliptical shape with slotted wing tips. The slotted nature of their wings provides them with extra lift as they fly. This flight style makes sense for crows' habitat niche, as they are scavengers. The crows that I observed were likely looking for food on the ground as they flew high above the trees. They were not flying particularly fast, allowing them to spot food on the ground more easily. American Crows could be identified in flight based on their characteristics of being black birds with somewhat slotted wings that flap constantly just over the tops of trees.
Several other bird species were observed. 3 Downy Woodpeckers were seen on a tree, 1 Blue Jay call was heard, 4 White-breasted Nuthatches were seen on trees and heard making loud repetitive calls, and 4 Black-capped Chickadees were heard making loud calls. The time of day, weather, and habitat did not hinder my ability to observe several species. However, I did not observe a wide variety of species. This might indicate that many bird species migrate south in the winter and are rare to observe in Burlington, Vermont in the middle of February. I may travel deeper into forested areas in the future with the hopes of seeing more species. I stayed somewhat close to the edge of Centennial Woods, which could have reduced the number of different species that I saw.

Posted on 19 de fevereiro de 2020, 02:12 PM by andrewgigs