dannybouwens's Journal

Date: 3/06/2020
Time: 2:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
Location: Centennial Woods, Burlington, VT
Weather: Sunny with a bit of clouds, 36 degrees F, and very windy
Habitat: The riparian zone for centennial brook. The trees were mainly evergreens including pines, hemlock, and firs.

I wasn't able to find a lot of different birds. I did however find a lot of black-capped chickadees. The black-capped chickadees I saw were burrowing themselves into the needles of the evergreens. This is so they could stay out of the wind and retain some of their body heat.

I also found a group of European starlings at the top of a tree. I do not believe they were together to conserve body heat, but rather they were looking for food together. This would help the European starlings from not being prey for other birds, and it would also increase the chances that they find food because they have more eyes searching. I am assuming that they were looking for snags (for insects) or different fruits from plants. The European starlings could of also been looking for desirable tree buds to consume.

I did see many snags as I was on my bird walk. Most of the snags I saw were at least fifteen feet high and had a radius of 10 inches. The snags had holes throughout their entirety that lead in towards the center snag. The snags were scattered along the path I took, but when I spotted birds in trees, there was atleast one snag within my eyesight. I believe the reason for this is because the birds I spotted (black-capped chickadees and European starlings) both eat insects. The insects that they seek often are very abundant in these snags.

Snags are extremely important for wildlife overall, but especially for birds. These snags provide a large food source for several species of birds (e.g. brown creepers, white-breasted nuthatches, and woodpeckers). These bird species all feed on beetles, spiders, and ants that live right beneath the bark. The woodpeckers also go into the inner bark to feast on larvae and pupae.

Date: 3/25/2020
Time: 2:50 p.m. - 4:20 p.m.
Location: Rail Trail, St. Albans, VT
Weather: Overcast with little sunshine. 45 degrees F.
Habitat: Gravel trail running through shrubs and trees. Trees consisted of paper birches, bigtooth aspen, buckthorn, and staghorn sumac. There was also a vine species that I could not identify.
Birds: 2 American robins, 1 Northern cardinal, 7 red-winged blackbird, 1 mourning dove, 2 American goldfinch, 5 black-capped chickadees

The birds were very interactive with one another. Every time I saw a red-winged blackbird I would end up seeing at least one more next to it. The different flocks of red-winged blackbirds seemed to be communicating to each other. There was one flock on the right side of the trail, and another on the left. The flock on the right would chirp a lot and eventually stop. Then the flock on the left would start chirping. The chirping kept alternating sides. I am not sure, but I believe the red-winged blackbirds were warning each other that I (a possible predator) was nearby. The black-capped chickadees also always seemed to stay in a little cluster. It was the same case as the red-winged black birds; when I saw one, I could find others close by. I believe this was the case for the black-capped chickadees because they are small birds, so it is safer for them to stay in groups.

Looking at all the American robins I saw today, most of them were on the ground. I believe the time I went was the part of their circadian cycle when they normally feed. I say this because I have walked this trail before and saw American robins mainly in the trees, but this time they were on the ground. The colors I saw were a nice bronze/orange. This is a part of their circannual rhythm because they are getting ready for their breeding season (starts in April), so they will get their "breeding" plumage.

There are two plumages that were very interesting to me. The first plumage was that of a red-winged black bird. I had trouble identifying the bird at first because it was mainly just black. After closer examination I saw a small yellow line along the wing. It was only when the birds started to fly that I was able to see red on the wing. I later confirmed that I was seeing a red-winged black bird by comparing their calls to a virtual call. I believe the reason behind why the wings were absent of a dominant red color was because they are in the middle of changing into their breeding plumage. This is the same case for the two American goldfinch I saw today. I was not sure what bird I was looking at until I was able to spot it through my binoculars. I was able to see the gold color start to appear under its wings and on its breast. It is the same reason as the red-winged black bird; the American goldfinch is transitioning to its breeding plumage.

Mini-activity: I came across a handful of black-capped chickadee groups, and each time I did I voiced a "pshhh" sound, and every time they had a similar reaction. I would make the sound, and they all looked right at me for a few seconds and then carried on with their regular life. They were not scared, and sometimes they came even closer to me. I think they reacted this way just to see if I was a predator or not. It is not a sound that they are all too common to, so they wanted to check me out, then they realized I was not a threat, so they carried on with their day. This sound is so enticing to them, and other small birds, because it replicates leaves moving. Normally when leaves are moving there is something big (e.g. predator) making them move. This sound warns the smaller birds that there might be a predator nearby.