Spring Activities

I started my observations today, April 22, 2020 at 3:42 and I finished at 5:25. I observed birds that were in my backyard in Burlington. It is mostly cedar and oak trees around my house. Today was cold and windy, the temperature was about 32 degrees. The sky was overcast.

One behavior I noticed today was a Robin that was collecting little twigs for nest material. It was not too brightly colored so I think that it was a female. I also noticed some Robins that were pecking at the ground looking for worms and other insects. I think at this point they are probably looking for food to fuel up and prepare to mate and raise a clutch and not looking for food to feed the chicks yet.

I have also observed a European Starling nest that has formed in the corner of my neighbor's gutter. There is a hole in the gutter that allows the birds to get inside and be protected from whatever is going on outside. I can see what looks like some dry straw or grass that is sticking out of the hole and probably is a piece of the nest padding inside the cavity in the gutter. I think that this might seem like a good place to nest because it is hidden but it might not be as convenient when a heavy rainstorm comes and washes the nest down the gutter.

I think that a Northern Cardinal might be nesting in one of the cedar trees behind the house. I observed a female working on building a nest there last week. I read online that Cardinals use twigs, vines, and strips of bark to build their nests. Usually they put them in dense vegetation 1-15 ft off of the ground.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KcV4zmdN8mR99A8TdP-ySCrnk80Hwn8O3KTRuXr2_B8/edit?usp=sharing

Posted on April 22, 2020 10:09 PM by maryrosek