jonsolomon's Journal

I made observations over two days for this entry.

Day 1:
5/9/2021
Start: 2:31 pm
End: 4:15 pm
Location: Airport park
Weather: Partly clowdy, 63 degrees fahrenheit
Habitats: Easter white pine stand, striped maple stand, deciduous trees, open air.

Today I saw a dissapointing amount of birds but heard many of them. A lot of the birds I heard I could not identify. They all felt so close but most of them were out of sight. A notable find was a pileated woodpecker which I first heard the drumming of, then the call, and finally I saw it.

Day 2:
5/10/2021
Start: 1:30 pm
End: 2:00 pm
Location: The Old North End
Weather: mostly sunny, 61 degrees fahrenheit
Habitats: rooftops, deciduous trees

Dissapointed with what I found yesterday, I walked around my neighborhood today looking for birds and didn't find many birds either, although I did not walk for very long. I heard a bunch of calls I couldn't recognize but I was able to clearly identify some House Sparrows and Rock Pigeons.

Start: 1:24 pm
End: 3:19 pm
Weather: Sunny
Location: Shelburne Farms
Habitats: Open air, water inlet, deciduous, pine trees, top of a pole

I did not get to observe many birds for long today. Most of the birds I saw flew by fast and went into the trees where I couldn't see them. I saw a male House Finch flying between trees and it seemed to be picking things off of the forest floor which could have been twigs and debris for its nest or food for its children. I couldn't get close enough to see what was in its mouth. I also saw what appeared to be an adult Osprey in a large nest on top of a very tall pole standing in a clearing in Shelburne Farms. The Osprey frequently ducked its head in and out of sight so I couldn't exactly tell what it was doing, but considering the plumage seemed to be that of an adult, I imagine it was tending to its young or incubating eggs. Throughout my trip, despite not seeing as many birds as I expected to on such a nice day, I saw multiple small nests in trees, one of which was right on the path I was walking along and was within an arm's reach. This nest didn't seem to have anything in it when I looked through small holes in its bottom. Many of the song birds I observed were likely nesting in the large deciduous tree stands throughout Shelburne Farms.

I unfortunately did not have the opportunity to directly observe any birds defending their territory, but when I did the mini activity I heard several American Crow and Black-capped Chickadee calls around me. While the crows seemed to be flying by in the distance, I heard what seemed to be three distinct locations in which Black-capped Chickadees may have been defending their territory.

Start: 1:05 pm
End: 3:45 pm
Location: Redstone pond, Burlington Country Club gold course
Weather, mostly cloudy, 8.7 mph wind east, 50 degrees F
Habitats: pond, birch stand, pine stand, bushes, open air, snags

Today I saw an amazing amount of bird species, most of which were songbirds. I was really lucky to see so many birds and I was at times overwhelmed by all the different songs and calls I was hearing. The highlight of the day I think was finding a group of four Hermit Thrushes walking around near some bushes and deciduous trees.

Start time: 12:50 pm
End time: 2:58 pm
Location: Burlington Country Club golf course
Weather: 52 deg Fahrenheit, sunny, 7 mph wind north
Habitats: deciduous tree stand, eastern white pine stand, open air above country club/redstone campus, small pond

I saw a large variety of songbirds today, although many of them I saw few of or only heard their calls. Some of these songbirds (Black-capped Chickadees, American Robins, American Goldfinches, Song Sparrows, and White-breasted Nuthatches) stay in Burlington year-round which suggests to me that they have no reason to migrate. This is likely due to a variety of factors including food availability and being physiologically well-adapted to the harsh Vermont winters. They must have sufficient metabolisms and insulation, as well as overnight locations which protect them from the elements.

American Goldfinches are facultative migrants who either spend their year throughout the U.S. or over-winter on the southern U.S. or Mexico and breed in Canada. The American Goldfinches I saw may have migrated from the southern U.S. and may be on their way to Canada for the breeding season, but it is also likely that they spent their winter in Vermont. If they migrated, however, they probably made this decision based on how much food they were able to acquire before the winter as well as weather patterns leading up to winter. If they weren't finding enough food or weather patterns indicated a strong winter, they probably migrated.

The Ring-billed Gulls I saw are obligate migrants who migrate from the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, through Vermont, and north to Canada. Following these migration patterns, Ring-billed Gulls are likely able to find more food throughout the year than if they stayed roughly in one area. Additionally, their wings seem well adapted for soaring and long distance travel. Being an obligate migrant, however, means that they likely have a much higher metabolic cost to travel such long distances.

Mini Activity - The total straight-line distance my facultative and obligate migrates traveled (roughly) is 6501 miles.

Start: 2:21 pm
End: 4:43 pm
Location: Centennial Woods and Waterfront Park
Weather: 61 degrees Fahrenheit, 3 mph southerly wind, no precipitation, clear skies
Habitats: Eastern White Pine stand, deciduous tree stand, Lake Champlain

I started this observation period at Centennial woods, expecting to see a lot of birds. While I was there, however, I saw none except for what I could best identify as a far-off Downy Woodpecker through my binoculars. I was really disappointed to find so few birds, despite the fact that I could hear so many. I was in Centennial woods for about an hour, and having seen only one bird, I figured I should go to the waterfront where Allan met students for this field journal. While I was in Centennial woods I was able to catch a few vocal interactions between birds. Specifically, I could hear Black-capped Chickadees calling to each other in separate trees, as well as two very distant "honking" birds. I could not identify these, but the best description I can give is that of a very succinct duck call - similar to a Mallard's but not quite. Additionally, I was able to catch an audio recording of a bird's call/song which was very similar to that of the White-breasted Nuthatch but was softer and smoother than the "hank" sound they make.

At about 3:40 pm I left Centennial woods for Waterfront park, frustrated that I had seen only one bird in the woods. At Waterfront park, I saw a several pairs of Ring-billed Gulls flying over Lake Champlain. They would come in and out of sight, occasionally calling to each other. At one point, though, I noticed a pair fly over me and circle out over the lake. They were making similar calls back and forth frequently, until one of them gave a very distinct and short call, at which point both birds descended to the water. Within a couple of minutes, five other Ring-billed Gulls approached the two original birds and descended out of sight as well. These birds were clearly searching for food and when one gave the call that they found food, the rest came in. This fits into the circadian rhythm of Ring-billed Gulls as they spend the day searching for food near bodies of water.

Ring-billed Gulls have mostly white plumage with grey wings and black tails. These birds search for food out in the sun all day, which having reflective, white plumage is advantageous for keeping the heat off. Downy Woodpeckers, however, have mostly black plumage with white spots and red on the head. This plumage is probably useful for blending into the dark under-story of a forest.

Mini activity: Spishing
While in Centennial woods, near where I heard the unidentified call and the "honk" in a stand of Easter White Pine, I had great results spishing. Even though I couldn't see any birds in this location, when I spished I was met with a choir of various calls and songs. Some I was able to identify, such as a Tufted Titmouse and what I could best identify as a Cedar Waxwing, but most I couldn't identify. Upon further spishing, some of the birds did not call back, so I wasn't able to record what they sounded like. Having seen so few birds though, I was amazed at the results spishing brought me.

I think I could be better at choosing my timing and locations for bird observation however. I am noticing a trend of me going out to places I have previously found an abundance of birds in the mid to late afternoon, only to be disapointed by how few birds I find (relative to what I've noticed in the past).

March 7, 2021
Start: 1:09 pm
End: 3:04 pm
Location: Intervale
Weather: Sunny, 25 degrees fahrenheit, 4 mph wind NNE, no precipitation
Habitats: Trees, power lines, open field

While most of the birds I observed were flying by me, there were a few notable observations. The European Starlings and House Sparrows I observed were in bushes or trees in groups and were looking for food on the ground (House Sparrows) or resting in the trees (European Starlings). The Northern Cardinals I saw were flying around between trees and it was hard to keep track of any one of them, but they seemed to be looking for food. I could hear their calls and songs to each other and the males seemed to be much more active than the females. The European Starlings, House Sparrows, and Northern Cardinals all went to the ground to eat a few seeds before jumping to their perch. The two Red-tailed Hawks I saw were circling over the highway by the Intervale together searching for food. Finally, the Mourning Doves I saw were resting on power lines next to each other.

All of the birds I saw seemed to have very little concern for the cold temperatures outside, which indicates to me that these birds are well-adapted for a cold climate and their body heat combined with the insulation of their feathers seems to be sufficient for the climate. The Mourning Doves I saw seemed to be making a point of sitting in the sun which they may have been using to absorb heat, but they could also simply have perched there as a vantage point to scan for food. It seems to me that most, if not all of these birds come here for food, because I'm starting to notice that when I come to the Intervale closer to dusk, I don't see many birds other than American Crows and perhaps European Starlings. This suggests to me that none of these birds overnight here and if they do, they do so in the very distant trees I don't have access to. Due to the cold climate, I think most of these birds subsist on seeds, as there doesn't seem to be much insect life available this time of year. The Red-tailed Hawks, however, were probably looking for small rodents such as voles, rats, squirrels to eat.

I had a hard time finding any significant snags in the Intervale and the few I did find were lacking any significant cavities. The lack of snags with cavities here is probably a good part of the reason why birds don't seem to overnight here. Snag cavities are important micro-habitats for many bird species to overnight in because they provide shelter from predators and the elements which can make spending the night in the open dangerous. I haven't paid enough attention to the presence of snags here in the past, and if I were to repeat this observation day, I would go somewhere I know has more snags so I can get a better understanding of their relationship to bird activity.

I went bird watching on two consecutive days in the same location because I was unsatisfied with my findings from the first day.

Day 1:
Date: February 20, 2021
Time: 4:00pm - 5:30pm
Location: Intervale Path
Weather: Overcast, 27 deg. Fahrenheit, 12 mph NNW wind
Habitats: Tree stand, open field

Today I went to the Intervale near sunset to observe birds for my first field journal. I had been there before and I knew I was going to find a lot of birds, but I think the timing and the weather were a bad combination and I was dissapointed to find only American Robins and a Red-tailed Hawk.

The American Robins were flying between trees but mostly they were sitting in a stand of Staghorn Sumac and eating the berries. American Robins have short and point feathers and they fly with a few consecutive flaps, tucking their wings in for a moment, and repeating.

The Red-tailed Hawk was very far in the distance, but through my binoculars I was able to watch it flash it's underside at me and I saw it's orange-redish tail and belly band very clearly. It was practically hovering in one spot, I assume over a rising air column, and appeared to be hunting because it was over an open field.

Day 2:
Date: February 21, 2021
Time: 1:30pm - 3:00pm
Location: Intervale
Weather: Clear skies, 30 deg. Fahrenheit, 2 mph N wind
Habitats: Trees

Today I went to the Intervale again to find more birds that I hoped would be there. The day was relatively warm and skies were perfectly clear so I felt good about what I would find. Before I even reached the path I noticed a lot of House Sparrows and Crows bounding between trees and, as I approached the Intervale path, I saw a tree full of Black-Capped Chickadees, House Sparrows, and a Northern Cardinal pair (a male and a female). Standing at the beginning of the path and looking at all the birds I had already found, I looked up and saw sitting on the power lines above me a large group of Rock Pigeons. Additionally, I saw high up in a tree

All of the birds I saw today were relatively the same size and had similar wing shapes and flight patters. For the most part, they all had short, pointy wings and flew in the same pattern as the American Robins I saw yesterday (flapflapflap, tuck, repeat). The crows, however, had a different flight pattern and wing shape. Their wings were less clearly pointed and flapped more consistently and less frequently. The crows also were flying over much large expanses (as opposed to between nearby trees) or resting in large flocks at the tops of trees. Additionally, I saw what looked like a very large crow alone in a tree, but I'm not sure what it was so I didn't record it. I am guessing it might have been a Raven but I'm really not sure.

From these two days of observation, I noticed a clear distinction between the types of birds I saw. The small song birds I observed I found in trees and all had essentially the same flight patterns. The Red-tailed Hawk I saw, however, had a very distinctly different flight pattern. It clearly seemed to be surveying the land below it, which contrasted greatly with the song birds which were bounding between branches and eating the berries and seeds they could find. I can't say I can distinguish between the song birds by flight pattern, but I feel like I could distinguish between song birds, crows, and hawks based on the flight patterns I observed.

I think the weather and timing of the day are what caused me to see so few birds the first day, although I am not sure why. I don't really know why birds would choose to not be there because it's cloudy. The time of day may have had more of an impact, though. Perhaps they were there in the middle of the day but not there near sunset because that is when they are able to find food better, or perhaps they like the warmth the sun provides them in the middle of the day.