eisloan9's Journal

03/06/2020, 4:30 PM, Stoneleigh-Burnham Riding School in Greenfield, Massachusetts, partly cloudy, about 40 degrees, wind speed= 5 mph North, dry field next to pond.
As I was driving down from Vermont to Connecticut, I noticed a lot of Canada Geese migrating north. I found it odd that they were migrating this early in the year. However, it has been unseasonably warm recently, especially in New England. It is possible that due to the warmer temperatures, the geese are confused, thinking that it is later in the year than it is. This could be problematic if it gets cold again, and the geese are up in Vermont. They are not used to being in the snow for long periods, which is why they migrate south.
When I stopped in Greenfield to get gas, I noticed many geese at the Stoneleigh-Burnham Riding School. When I stopped to observe their behaviors, I noticed that some of the geese were standing on one leg. This helped them preserve their body heat, since they do not have feathers on their legs. Some of the other geese were laying down, which would further help conserve their body heat, because they do not have either of their legs exposed to the cold.
When I kept walking around the campus of the Stoneleigh-Burnham School, I noticed a couple of robins in a neighboring field. They did not seem to be as effected by the cold as the robins did. One of them puffed their feathers on their chest very briefly, but other than that they seemed to carry on their normal activities. The robins I observed were in a bush on the edge of a forest and a field. They seemed to be looking for food. This would differ from their behavior in the spring because in the spring and summer, they would probably be looking in the fields for worms and insects. These creatures would be much more sustainable to eat because they would provide more nutrients and proteins.
It is very interesting to observe the difference in bird behaviors in the winter and the other seasons. Not only do they need to warm themselves but they also have to find different foods to eat and different ways to harvest their energy.

March 24, 2020 at 5:00 PM, Mt. Philo State Park, Charlotte, Vermont, habitat was very woodsy with spots cleared for recreational areas such as picnic tables, small restroom buildings, and grill areas. The trees in this habitat were evergreen and deciduous, and in the non-cleared areas, the tree density was variable, due to the large sections of land that were cleared from trees. There was some snow on the ground, but most of it had already melted. The weather was partly cloudy and partly sunny, with a wind speed of about 5 mph in the northeast direction.
There were many interesting patterns that I observed while watching the birds interact with each other. First, when I was sitting at the top of Mt. Philo, I saw one Red-tailed Hawk in flight over the flat, residential area, and as it was flying, it screeched a couple times. Although it was unclear what this individual was trying to communicate through this sound, in just a minute or two, two more hawks joined and the three birds circled for about 5 minutes. It is possible that the screeching bird was a male defending his territory or communicating that there is a food source below.
As I was watching the Black-capped Chickadees and the American Robins, I noticed how different their plumages are, even though they were both in similar habitats. The colors of the Chickadee (black, white, gray) seem to help them become less noticeable, especially when they are in shrubs. On the other hand, American Robins spend some of the year foraging in trees and shrubs, and the other part of the year finding worms and other invertebrates in the ground. Their plumage, grey-brown backs and wings with a rusty-orange belly, may be more helpful for them when they are foraging on the ground in the warmer seasons. This could be because they are not patterned and their colors could closely resemble those of dirt or other earthy mediums.
As I was observing the Red-tailed Hawks circling above in the sky, I found it very interesting to think about what it is they are doing, based on the time of year. After a quick internet search, I learned that they usually migrate back up to Vermont in the first weeks of March, in order to get ready for breeding. It is possible that the individual that was screeching was trying to attract mates, trying to defend his territory, or foraging, but either way, it makes sense knowing about the circannual rhythm of this species.