Field Identification #2 March 8,2019

On this field observation trip, I journeyed to Wheeler Nature Park in South Burlington. I decided this would be a great spot to go birding because I previously went to this spot in my Vermont History course. We were tracking during that lab which meant following the footsteps of the wildlife that roamed that land. We saw a lot of rabbit evidence whether it be there prints or the pellets, there were an abundance of eastern cottontail. Today, it is shining bright and around 20 degrees fahrenheit. It is March 8th and just around 11:30. I make my way across the little wooden walkway over to a strip of wooded area adjacent to a fallen tree which I will investigate later. I must add, I have been noticing a few Northern Cardinals in my backyard the past few days. When I go let my pup out they’re singing like nobody's business. This Friday morning in particular I saw them chasing around each other trying to figure out what they were trying to accomplish. We’ll get into that a little more in the next section. The last time I was at Wheeler Park I noticed some Pileated Woodpecker markings on a tree when deep in the forest. They were rings around the tree that went down about four or five times spotted with the peckings of the Pileated Woodpecker. I also just assumed it was a Pileated Woodpecker due to the amount of “wuk wuk wuk” songs I was hearing.
Since it is still quite frigid outside, I always wondered how these small species kept warm or what they even did with their lives since all the ground was covered with snow. We learned in class that species will begin to cluster to make a circle of heat, for instance the American Crow. Other possibilities that birds are doing is quite literally shivering, this creates a source of heat as well that will keep the bird alive during most frigid temperatures. Due to the ground not being available to keep an abundance of food sources, birds usually accumulate an amount of food before these winter months. Buckthorn berries are still available for bird species yet doesn’t sit well in their cycle ultimately passing through quickly and not giving up a lot of nutrients, also turning the species droppings blue. A large amount of time is spent resting or sleeping with the group to stay warm and pass the cold days. Staying warm, keeping food abundance and finding a mate are all things that these species are looking for. The ability to reproduce is what drives these birds to do their everyday activities like such. Worms, insects, seeds are not as abundant in the colder months due to inability to access them through amounts of snow. Sticking to what they have accumulated or the leftover berries of trees and other species hiding holes, those are their main source of nutrients. When it comes to sleeping, species during the cold months often huddle in a more closed off space. For instance if there was a large bush in your backyard, you might find a variety of species in it taking cover for overnight snowstorms and winds. Soon species will migrate back to Vermont and grounds will be thawed and the ecosystem will be replenished once again.
Through my walk into wheeler park I noticed quite a few snags where there could be any species from gray squirrel to rabbit to owl taking refuge in it. One thing I’ve noticed is the larger the snag, the larger the cavity, which ultimately makes since. When it eventually hollows out, there is a better chance to find larger animals taking over that space as their new habitat. Since I am journeying through the day and not at night, I do not suspect to see a large abundance of bird species because they are out trying to gather nutrients for the day or trying to connect with others. While trying to tap around cavities in snags, I was honestly a little scared of what might pop out. After trying on about three different cavities finding that no one was home, I went a little further into the woods. I saw some more rings of holes down trees and kept my eye out for a Pileated Woodpecker. I waited around for about another 30 minutes where I was able to hear surrounding species and one call of a Pileated woodpecker but nothing seemed to want to connect with me today. I retreat back to the previous cavities I looked at to see if I was missing anything but again, nothing. Maybe I’ll come back later in the day to see if I can find more species. Species like Pileated Woodpecker or Owl are the most common species I would assume to find in cavities of snags. Snags are so important for our ecosystem to thrive. Providing a safe habitat for species to rest or nest brings peace to the species in order to keep reproducing. Back to the Northern Cardinals I saw in my backyard these past few morning, noticing that there were only three male Northern Cardinals made me wonder. Were they chasing around each other in order to mark the territory? Were they simply assuming themselves in chasing each other around? Is this apart of a territory ritual of some kind? After I watched these birds follow each other and sing to each other I assumed they were just apart of the group they must have formed for over the winter. Maybe I’ll see more accumulate over the days, maybe not.

Posted on March 8, 2019 04:57 PM by chey_conn chey_conn

Observations

Photos / Sounds

What

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

Observer

chey_conn

Date

March 7, 2019 07:05 AM EST

Description

The classic "purty purty purty" followed by the ray gun song was coming from this guy for five minutes, communicating back and fourth with two others that I couldn't spot.

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