fj 5

Start time : 8:00 am
End time : 9:30 am
Date : 04/05/2021
Location: Winooski River Walk
Weather: temp hung steady at a cool 39 to 41 degrees F, with pretty full sun! wind was whipping around at a whooping 15 mph, at least, blowing in from the north and a little bit west, but mostly north.
Habitat: Wooded area along Winooski river: the woods are primarily deciduous trees, with a few small stands of young coniferous trees. There was a lot of forest debris like fallen snags, stumps, dead leaves, and branches. There wasn't any visible greenery on the forest floor or with any buds on the trees, but closer to the banks of the river and some offshoots there was some budding happening, and the grassy open areas had that young green grass going on. In addition to the wooded area, there were a few open-air fields in woods--one was a regular field, grassy and such, but the other was more of a marsh--offshoots from the river feed into this cattail marsh. The marsh was still yellowed and blown over some.

The birdsong was just as loud as it was last time I was in this area, and given how tall the trees are, it's my primary source for most bird IDs. Going in, I saw just a ton of Ring-billed Gulls hanging out on the rocks in the Winooski river, upstream of the bridge you'd cross to get to the Winooski circle. I also saw most of the Canada Geese in this area, and did almost get got by one near a picnic bench. See: the photo that goes along with that observation. The rest of the birds I identified were spotted / heard in the woods near the field or on the edge of the woods and still water or a small creek moment. Except for the mallards, who flew over my head and scared the living daylights out of me.

I observed mainly year-round residents: considering the Blue Jay, for example, one adaptation they have to best survive in the harsh climate is their strong social bonds, as they gather in larger groups. They also have a strong love for acorns, which are definitely available year-round, and while that may not be an adaptation, it is certainly cute. They also tend to forage on the ground, finding seeds, fruits, nuts, that kind of thing, and if they do that in a group it makes it easier to find those piles of seeds. The crop can be considered a physiological adaptation that will help them in this-they can carry nuts, like acorns, in that crop when they do find an abundance of food. I think they also take the food they've set aside in the crop and cache in various places later, which is another way of ensuring a food source over the harsh winter.

For facultative migrants, I'm thinking of the American Goldfinch, and I think it would be coming from the Southern U.S., not too far from us, and would be heading up into Canada if it wasn't staying with us, maybe in the southern half of the Quebec province. I don't specifically know what happened in the southern U.S.. I would guess with the winter we had, perhaps there is too much competition for seeds in the south, but regardless, whatever it was, it affected seed availability to such an extent that the birds were no longer able to glean what they needed from the open woodlands of the Southern U.S., and had to migrate northwards for the boom of food coming as springtime heads our way. The obligate migrant I did hear, the Chimney Swift, has a great advantage with again, that springtime availability of food reaching us--they do have to compete with the year-round residents for that food, and the high risks of death while migrating, due to high energy demand or bad weather, are a definite downside to that migration.

Mini activity: I got to around 2,500 miles, courtesy of the Chimney Swift and the Mallard pretty exclusively! Thanks, All About Birds.

Posted on April 5, 2021 09:04 PM by avi_ avi_

Observations

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)

Observer

avi_

Date

April 5, 2021 08:30 AM EDT

Description

All on the rocks above the Winooski bridge

Photos / Sounds

What

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Observer

avi_

Date

April 5, 2021 08:30 AM EDT

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

Observer

avi_

Date

April 5, 2021 08:30 AM EDT

Photos / Sounds

What

Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)

Observer

avi_

Date

April 5, 2021 08:30 AM EDT

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica)

Observer

avi_

Date

April 5, 2021 08:30 AM EDT

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

Observer

avi_

Date

April 5, 2021 08:30 AM EDT

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)

Observer

avi_

Date

April 5, 2021 08:30 AM EDT

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Observer

avi_

Date

April 5, 2021 08:30 AM EDT

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)

Observer

avi_

Date

April 5, 2021 08:30 AM EDT