Field Journal #7

Camilla Sucre
Date: 26 April 2021
Start time: 1:00 pm
End time: 2:30 pm
Location: Colchester Bog, VT
Weather: 42 deg F, NNW 16 mph, no precipitation, mostly cloudy
Habitat: Wetland, forest (conifers, maples, blueberry bush, witch hazel, etc), open fields scattered throughout
Species: 22 Black-capped Chickadee, 5 American Robin, 7 Song Sparrow, 1 Downy Woodpecker, 2 Tufted Titmouse, 10 Canada Goose
*NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS: 47
This week, I decided to go back to Colchester Bog, located in Colchester VT. I wanted to go back again because of how awesome it was to truly see some variation and also walk around and sit and really watch them this week. Walking to the wooden deck trail that leads further into the more wetland-type habitat, I sat down for 10 minutes listening to the sounds around me (mini activity portion). I noticed that there were Northern Cardinals calling to each other in 4 different areas (all essentially at the corners of the “circle”). A Black-capped Chickadee was heard from the leftmost area of the circle as well. Overhead through the rightmost area of the circle, Canada Goose flew over in their formation.
Behaviors that I noticed firstly was the way a pair of Black-capped Chickadees interacted with each other in a tree. One of the chickadees mostly stayed on the branch while the other hopped around to nearby trees and then back to the other chickadee. I would say that this is a pretty normal behavior of chickadees anyways, but I interpreted it as possible mates or “flirting”. The next behavior I noticed was a nest with 2 Song Sparrows inside/surrounding the nest in a taller tree. One of the sparrows sat in the nest, ruffling the leaves and twigs around, which led me to assume the other sparrow was watching and protecting the area while the other sparrow did some “renovations” to their nest. I think this was defending territory in a bit of a poor manner because on the floor below them, were two Tufted Titmouse(mice??) on the floor foraging as well.
I think today what I learned about the fitness of birds is how the Northern Cardinals really projected high up in the trees and were able to be heard essentially everywhere in the area we were in. I think those birds that can go high up into a tree and project their call or song overhead are the ones who are more fit, compared to the chickadee I heard pretty quietly during the mini activity portion. I think that the Song Sparrows in their nest had retrieved their materials from the litter below them or in the area surrounding the tree they were in.

Posted on April 26, 2021 08:30 PM by