quillynp's Journal

March 8, 2021
Start: 1:00 pm
End: 2:30 pm

Location: Redstone woods
Weather: Clear and sunny
Habitat: Woods between campus and golf course (now used as snowshoe/ski trail)

Species List:
Black-capped Chickadee- 10
American Crow- 4
Hairy Woodpecker- 1
White-breasted Nuthatch- 1

For this field journal I observed birds along the path through the Redstone woods. Behavior-wise, I mainly saw birds foraging for food. This was first noticed with the chickadees, which I saw pecking at small branches and stalks near a pond. Similarly, I distinctly heard two woodpeckers attacking some trees. I was only able to find one to confirm it was a Hairy Woodpecker based off of how high up in the tree it was. The nuthatch also looked to be searching for food, as I saw it travelling around a large tree's branches and pecking at the bark. Other birds, such as the crows and a few unidentifiable gulls were seen flying overhead.

I also noticed, specifically with the crows and chickadees, that the birds were very talkative during my walk, perhaps to warn others of my presence.

I did not see any specific behavior related to retaining heat. It wasn't too cold today (around 30) and there was little to no breeze. It seems as though most birds were using this time as an opportunity to find food.

(Mini Activity- Snag Watch)
There were many snags in the Redstone woods, and many had between 5-10 cavities that I could spot. Cavities usually were found near the top of large tree. I would guess most of them, due to the size and texture of wood around them, were from woodpeckers. I did not see too many small snags, but cavities found in them were proportionally smaller (although large snags also contained smaller cavities as well as large ones). I tried to hit a few of the dead trees with a stick but didn't see any birds emerge. I did, however, disturb a sleeping squirrel from its nest (sorry!).

While some snag holes are likely used as nests for cavity nesters, I would also assume that many are due to woodpeckers (and others that peck at wood) looking for food.

Date: March 20, 2021
Start: 9:30
End: 11:00

Location: Burlington bike path, south of ECHO
Weather: Clear skies, breezy
Habitats: Residential, lakeshore, some trees

Species List:
Ring-billed Gull- ~30
Mallard- 19
Common Merganser- 3
Common Grackle- 15
Merlin- 1
Common Goldeneye- 3
Canadian Goose- 1
Northern Cardinal- 2
Black-capped Chickadee- 1

I went birdwatching on Saturday morning with the Ornithology group starting at the ECHO center and walking south along the Burlington bike path. While the sky was clear and sunny, it was still a bit cold (~35 ℉) and the lake made it quite windy. Most of my observations were made up of shorebirds such as Ring-billed Gulls and Mallards.
In terms of vocal communication, I noticed the Ring-billed Gulls specifically were very noisy. As about a dozen circled, soared, and dove overhead, they let out several bursts of caws. It seemed directed at each other and one would occasionally chase another. Based on my knowledge and the aggressive nature of this communicative behavior, I would guess this could be a way of protecting territory/food. Since Ring-billed Gulls usually breed during the months of May-August, it is too early in their circannual cycle for these to be mating attempts.
In response to their circadian rhythms, I observed varying behaviors such as foraging from Ring-billed Gulls and Common Mergansers as well as resting from Mallards on shore. A group of Mallards of mainly females were sitting on a rocky and icy beach near the bike path bridge. I think this behavior could have also been to maintain body temperature in response to the wind by basking in the sun since it was still pretty early and the day still had a few hours to reach its peak temperature.
To compare plumages, I will contrast the stars of my birdwatching journey: the Mallard and the Ring-billed Gull. Both are birds that spend most of their time in/around water and yet their plumages are vastly different. While the gull is mostly a bright white, the duck is mainly brown/darker colors. These colors aid in their different feeding techniques. Ring-billed gulls spend a lot of their time flying to spot their food, so their white coloration allows them to blend in with the bright sky and clouds above. Mallards are dabbling ducks so search for food on the water in ponds, lakes, and rivers. Their earthier tones let them blend in with the reeds around them, which hides them from predators so they can focus on dabbling.
Near the end of my walk, while in a thin spread of trees away from the shore near the water treatment plant, I spotted a male and female Northern Cardinal fluttering together. It is the start of the cardinal breeding season so they were likely a mating pair. They looked to be foraging for seeds on the ground together.

Mini Activity: Spishing

Since learning about this technique, I have tested it and gotten positive results (on birds and cats alike). I’ve had chickadees and a robin approach and look around curiously. The sound to me resembles the quiet squeaks/rustlings of a rodent or perhaps another small bird. These sounds could communicate that there is food available nearby. Rodents and small birds seem to have similar diets and many species of rodent stash food away for winter. So, if a bird hears this sound they might know to look around for this stash.

Date: March 20, 2021
Start: 9:30
End: 11:00

Location: Burlington bike path, south of ECHO
Weather: Clear skies, breezy
Habitats: Residential, lakeshore, some trees

Species List:
Ring-billed Gull- ~30
Mallard- 19
Common Merganser- 3
Common Grackle- 15
Merlin- 1
Common Goldeneye- 3
Canadian Goose- 1
Northern Cardinal- 2
Black-capped Chickadee- 1

I went birdwatching on Saturday morning with the Ornithology group starting at the ECHO center and walking south along the Burlington bike path. While the sky was clear and sunny, it was still a bit cold (~35 ℉) and the lake made it quite windy. Most of my observations were made up of shorebirds such as Ring-billed Gulls and Mallards.
In terms of vocal communication, I noticed the Ring-billed Gulls specifically were very noisy. As about a dozen circled, soared, and dove overhead, they let out several bursts of caws. It seemed directed at each other and one would occasionally chase another. Based on my knowledge and the aggressive nature of this communicative behavior, I would guess this could be a way of protecting territory/food. Since Ring-billed Gulls usually breed during the months of May-August, it is too early in their circannual cycle for these to be mating attempts.
In response to their circadian rhythms, I observed varying behaviors such as foraging from Ring-billed Gulls and Common Mergansers as well as resting from Mallards on shore. A group of Mallards of mainly females were sitting on a rocky and icy beach near the bike path bridge. I think this behavior could have also been to maintain body temperature in response to the wind by basking in the sun since it was still pretty early and the day still had a few hours to reach its peak temperature.
To compare plumages, I will contrast the stars of my birdwatching journey: the Mallard and the Ring-billed Gull. Both are birds that spend most of their time in/around water and yet their plumages are vastly different. While the gull is mostly a bright white, the duck is mainly brown/darker colors. These colors aid in their different feeding techniques. Ring-billed gulls spend a lot of their time flying to spot their food, so their white coloration allows them to blend in with the bright sky and clouds above. Mallards are dabbling ducks so search for food on the water in ponds, lakes, and rivers. Their earthier tones let them blend in with the reeds around them, which hides them from predators so they can focus on dabbling.
Near the end of my walk, while in a thin spread of trees away from the shore near the water treatment plant, I spotted a male and female Northern Cardinal fluttering together. It is the start of the cardinal breeding season so they were likely a mating pair. They looked to be foraging for seeds on the ground together.

Mini Activity: Spishing

Since learning about this technique, I have tested it and gotten positive results (on birds and cats alike). I’ve had chickadees and a robin approach and look around curiously. The sound to me resembles the quiet squeaks/rustlings of a rodent or perhaps another small bird. These sounds could communicate that there is food available nearby. Rodents and small birds seem to have similar diets and many species of rodent stash food away for winter. So, if a bird hears this sound they might know to look around for this stash.