Field Journal 1

On Tuesday morning from 7-9 am February 18, I went on a field observation walk in Williston, Vermont at the location of a horse farm and the farm’s surrounding land. The weather was 15 degrees fahrenheit. There was overcast and mild snowfall throughout the observational walk. I began the walk and immediately heard the chirps and songs of Black-capped Chickadees. I then saw 6 of them in multiple trees in close proximity to each other. I took a moment to sketch the details of a Black-capped Chickadee in my notebook (attached in the observations). Then, continuing on my walk I spotted a Northern Cardinal perched at the top of a tree. On the property, there is a bird feeder. I took a moment to observe birds eating at the feeder. I saw a total of 5 House Sparrows eating at the feeder and flying around the feeder. Further along in my walk I spotted a group of 7 American Crows sitting in a tree. I took a moment to watch them. They were calling and after a few minutes flew off. I took this time to observe the flight of the crows.

I compared the American Crow flight pattern to that of the House Sparrow. House Sparrows are much smaller in size than American Crows. House Sparrows flights involve a lot of short and fast movements from branch to branch in trees, and in my observation they flew quickly on and off the bird feeder onto nearby trees. Often, it is easy to identify song birds based on their flight patterns as these types of birds tend to flap their wings more often. American Crows are fairly large birds with larger wing spans. The American Crows I observed were flying a much larger distance than the smaller hop-like flight of the House Sparrows. The primary feathers on the tips of the American Crow wings are also much more separated than those of the House Sparrow. This slotted wing type allows for more lift from flapping. The American Crows tend to flap their wings at a much slower rate than House Sparrows, and glide more. This is probably because American Crows tend to fly much further distances on a daily basis than House Sparrows, as they look for food over long distances rather than staying closer to one area like House Sparrows. House Sparrows habitats are often linked to human habitation. At the location in Williston, many House Sparrows live inside of the horse barn. Crows, on the other hand scavenge the open fields and forested areas on the property for food.

Overall, I did not see that many birds on my observational walk. This is likely due to the overcast weather and snowfall. In the future, I would like to try to return to this location on a clearer day. Also, I would like to venture deeper into the forested area towards a small pond. Observing near a body of water could lead to the discovery of more bird species, perhaps even water-dwelling birds, like Mallards or Canadian Geese.

Posted on 20 de fevereiro de 2020, 12:42 AM by miahandtereinecker