Field Journal #3

• Date – 03/07/2021
• Start time – 10:30
• End time – 12:00
• Location – Downtown Burlington, Old North End, Hungerford Terrace, Pearl St, Loomis St, North Ave
• Weather (temperature, wind speed/direction, precipitation) – Sunny, mild/moderate cloud cover, 25 degrees F, No precipitation, N wind ~5mph
• Habitat(s) – Urban, Busy streets, smaller buildings mostly residential, young trees and shrubs, most trees are bare

I decided to bird a little closer to home this time, so I took my dog on a long walk Sunday morning all around Burlington. It wasn’t the earliest so the streets were already pretty busy so there wasn’t too much bird activity. It was quite cold and windy which made things worse, so both me and my dog had coats on. I also noticed that our resident Northern Cardinals that hang out in the tree next to our house were also puffed up. They looked like bright red fluff balls. I also noticed some House Sparrows doing the same thing. They sit in dense shrubs or pine trees that still have needles on them and huddle together to keep warm and minimize heat loss. Rock Pigeons were also huddling together of roof lines around the city.

I also noticed a lot of birds eating. I saw a number of American Crows and Rock Pigeons scavenging for things on the streets. There have also been a large number of Black-capped Chickadees at our bird feeder recently. Birds are most likely spending most of their time eating to try and bulk up fat sources for the colder months. They may want to be eating foods that have a higher fat content in them like seeds or nuts.

I didn’t see any snags on my walk since I was downtown. But I know some birds do utilize them and the holes in them for cover and to keep warm. They can keep out of harsh weather and it can also be used as a safe space to raise young. Snags are also used as a food source for insect eating birds.

Posted on March 8, 2021 06:04 PM by