jonsolomon's Journal

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: 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: 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.