sdecrescinaturalist's Journal

April 5th, 2021
Start Time: 11:30 pm
End Time: 1:00 pm
Location: High Ridge Circle, Franklin Massachusetts
Weather: Blue skies, Sunny, East 15 mph wind speed and 0% precipitation.

Temperature: 59 F
Habitat: Suburban community with tall trees all around, especially in my neighbors' yard along with a couple of small and medium sized trees in the front of the houses.

Species: 1 American robin, 1 male Northern Cardinal, 1 House Finch

This one was tough because yesterday there was relatively very little activity, the first time I did a journal entry it was luck for the most part that I came across the birds I did, I realize that the trees are too tall for me to get a good picture or even get the best audio, I actually heard more birds than I recorded but I couldn't get a good recording of them or even be able to make out which ones they were. That being said, as I walked out I immediately heard some bird calls, it was like a chirping and fluttering kind of sound that was descending in pitch as it continued but not noise, it was decently loud the whole way through. I even was able to see this bird after, a small bird that was mostly grey, and after analyzing it later I realized it was a House Finch, I have seen House Finches when bird watching, but sadly I have never heard them. After the Finch I spent about 20 minutes walking around and looking up at the trees trying to find more birds. It was at that point I saw a speck of red flying into the trees and I looked through my binoculars and realized it was one male Northern Cardinal. The orange beak, black over its eyes, the red plumage all over its body, it was very hard to miss, sadly the trees were too tall and I could not capture a photo. After that it was hard, I spent 40 minutes alternating between sitting on my steps with my binoculars to walking around, until for the first time I saw a bird on the ground. I ran into my neighbors yard and snapped a picture of it, which was only its back, but I could see its front after, the reddish/orange stomach, black head and grey back, it was clear that this bird was an American robin. After that I stayed close to my home and waited until time was up.

Thankfully for me there was only one observed species today that does not winter outside of my state, which is the northern cardinal. These birds stay year round because migrating can prove more great harm as opposed to staying, they are not flyers and they are very territorial. Because of this territorial behavior it makes them the best type of bird to scavenge and forage for food in the desolate winter as well as find a suitable living space that is warm. In general, because these birds have a higher body temperature compared to mammals that makes them more suited to staying for the winter and aside from finding snags in order to hide in and stay cozy for the winter, these birds will also shiver to keep warm, not unlike humans. Also, these types of birds preen their feathers more often to make sure there is little dirt or moisture on it so they do not get extra cold.

The last two species, house finch and American robin, were migrant birds. Both species were facultative migrants, nut the house finch is a partial migrant, so they can bear the winter sometimes, depending on where they are, but in terms of the east coast the are more likely to migrate. Both of these birds are responding to changes in the atmosphere, most often drops in temperature in leaving Massachusetts and a rise in temperature in entering Massachusetts can cause bird species to fluctuate when they migrate. Also, food shortage is a big issue, while they can forage, often times the types of foods are selective and they might not be the most competitive which is why they would migrate to an area that is more plentiful in food, which is why they migrate out. But, moving back in is the time when there is more types of food growing and less competition, because in general the majority of the bird species are located in the south and tropic regions.

Sadly no observed birds were obligate migrants. However, a good example would be geese flying south for the winter and then north for the summer. A specific example would be the Canadian Goose, flying back north now would be advantageous in that they will be able to reap the rewards of having more resources with fewer competitors. On the other hand, if the weather fluctuates, which is possible to happen knowing the New England area as well as Canada, then they will be in a tough spot and it might stop food production (plants growing etc). For example, up until recently there was still snow on the ground, only a little, but it shows you how lingering the cold can be with the wind chill and everything.

Miles migrated mini-activity (the closest places for both birds in the most common area was central Florida, which is why I picked Orlando as a reference point cause it is near the center):

House Finch: Orlando Florida to Franklin Massachusetts (1271 miles)
American Robin: Orlando Florida to Franklin Massachusetts (1271 miles)
Total miles traveled: 2542 miles

April 19th, 2021
Start Time: 3:00 pm
End Time: 4:30 pm
Location: High Ridge Circle, Franklin Massachusetts
Weather: Cloudy and drizzling, West 9 mph wind speed and 15% precipitation.

Temperature: 47 F
Habitat: Suburban community with tall trees all around, In my backyard with a pool and surrounded by small to medium bushes in a garden.

Species: 1 American Robin, 1 Eastern Phoebe, 1 House Finch

Today was sadly a light day, I believe this to be because it was not only cloudy but raining as well, albeit only slightly. I was sitting on a bench writing for a while, hearing only passing bird calls but not loud enough to record and not distinct enough to make out. However, after a while I looked at my house and I saw a bird on top of my house, a grey bird from the back but bright red, almost pink, on its chest and face and to me there was no doubt in my mind that was a House Finch, sadly I could only get the back end of it. After about 30 minutes, it was getting tiring, but after looking through my binoculars I saw a bird that had dark wings, a dark back and tail feathers along with a dark capped head but contrasted with a white belly, a large black eye, and a black small beak, at this point I knew it was one Eastern Phoebe. Sadly I could not get a picture of the bird, but I hope my description would suffice. 15 minutes more went by and I was getting restless, until that is I looked where I saw the House Finch earlier and I saw an American Robin, clear as day and I could get a good picture by looking through my binoculars with the camera and taking a picture. That was the last clear bird I was able to see for the day. Overall, it was pretty uneventful but the weather did not help.

April 26th, 2021
Start Time: 4:30 pm
End Time: 6:00 pm
Location: High Ridge Circle, Franklin Massachusetts
Weather: Mostly cloudy with some sun, East 13 mph wind speed and 10% precipitation.

Temperature: 54 F
Habitat: Suburban community with tall trees all around, In my backyard with a pool and surrounded by small to medium bushes/trees in a garden.

Species: 2 Black-capped Chickadees, 1 Northern Cardinal, 1 House Finch, 1 Brown-headed Cowbird

Today was eventful, I heard a lot more birds than normal and I was able to pick them out easier, the recorder however was harder to capture the birds due to the fierce wind. However, I pressed on, as soon as I got outside I kept hearing birds all around me, a lot of them hard to focus in on. I kept hearing this loud chirp, so I followed it through my gate to the back of the side of my house and I saw it one bright red Northern Cardinal, with an orange beak and black face. I could not get a picture of it, but I heard it chirping right after which is when I got the recording. A decent amount of time passed until I heard an array of birds deep to my north in the woods and recorded the group with the calls I could somewhat make out and after further analysis I determined that one I could indeed identify and that was the soft but rapid chirping of a single House Finch. Immediately after that, I heard a familiar bird call from inside the hedge that grows in my backyard acting as kind of a barrier between us and our neighbors house, it was two syllables one low and the other very high pitched which had kind of a dip effect. After recording it, and knowing I had never recorded any bird like this I analyzed the call and learned it was familiar, it was one Brown-headed Cowbird. The Brown-headed Cowbird was what I thought would be the last after the birds kind of calmed down, it was probably 30 minutes, I walked around the house, found nothing until back at the pool area which I camped out in to observe, I saw two birds, one was in the tree moving around and one was on the ground, technically in a bush. These were the same bird and from their white cheeks and black caps I knew I was looking at 2 Black-capped Chickadees.

Overall, based off what I saw this day there was ample evidence of physical behaviors pertaining to nest selection and territory selection and not much pertaining to mating selection. For example, I saw a duo of Black-capped Chickadees flocking together, but it was clear they were a pair based off the way one followed the other from the ground to the tree. However, I saw a lot of evidence of behavior pertaining to territory and nest selection. The House Finch was using its calls to signal its companions as House Finch rarely travel alone, signaling the "all clear" sound to come back, or simply communicating with them, but normally when it comes to calling out to birds in that manner it is more about territory and checking in with their mate. In terms of nesting however, my backyard is perfect as it is near other yards and thick brush, House Finches tend to stay in the area without many trees and sometimes dryer and medium sized trees and land. Contrasted with the Chickadees, the two smaller songbirds would normally roost in a dead tree close to or in the woods as they are small and need more protection. The Northern Cardinal lives in the thick brush and uses it for cover for their nests, not normally high up in trees, more likely close to the middle or bottom of the trees. The Cowbird in terms of nesting is entirely different, it is a parasitic bird, meaning it lays its eggs in a variety of nests, mainly one closer to its size but not limited to that, it is likely that it would lay its eggs in thick brush like the hedge I heard it from.

The only bird I found that was making calls as alarms and to be territorial was the Norther Cardinal, it was extremely loud and it was on the edge of the thick brush where I am sure that it lived. The habitat was tailor made for the bird, it was at an appropriate height in the trees, small to medium sized, and the brush was very thick, enough to hide itself and its nest. I believe the alarm was being sound in part because of my presence, but I have no doubt with birds such as a Cowbird flying around that it would try very hard to make sure no bird destroys its eggs or nest. To me this fierce defensiveness of its territory displays the birds good fitness in surviving and raising a brood to survive. When the Chickadees were in the tree and on the ground, I originally thought they were foraging, mainly the one on the ground in which I saw some things in its beak as it flew up into the tree with its partner. But then I realized it was right near a dead bush with twigs around it as well as mulch and realized that it is also possible with spring already here and the weather getting exponentially warmer they are looking for materials to build their nest, in which they would use skinny pieces of mulch to line their nest and small twigs from the dead bush to fill it in or vice versa depending on the thickness, but I believe the thicker mulch would be better for lining. It is not easy since the Chickadees would have to venture out of their roosting spot to come down to the grow to pick up mulch and fallen twigs, including in small to medium trees like I found one of the Chickadees in. In conclusion, while they are exposed, these birds' actions line up with where they would go to look for materials to build the nest.

Mini activity symbols explanations: The length of the lines determine the length each noise lasts for, longer or shorter, and the number of them says how many syllables in the song and lines in between them are used as connectors to show if they were smooth transitions of choppy. Dots next to single chirps indicate higher pitched, zigzag indicates choppy and raspy calls, completely connected lines with dips show complete connected dips and upticks in calls and the loops indicate a hooting sound.