Field Journal 3 (Ecological Physiology)

Date - 3/6/21
Start time - 5:00 pm
End time - 6:30 pm
Location - Centennial Woods Natural Area
Weather (temperature, wind speed/direction, precipitation) - 25 degrees F, clear skies, no wind aside from the occasional slight breeze
Habitat(s) - Old growth pine stands

Upon entering Centennial Woods, I didn't even have time to take my earbuds out and start listening for birds before I saw a huge owl fly right over my head. I wasn't sure what type of owl it was, so I followed the direction it flew hoping I could get a better look. After a couple of minutes, I found the owl again, perched up high on a tree branch looking off into the distance. The owl made sure to turn and look at me periodically while I was observing it, however it seemed mostly unbothered by my presence, and was clearly focused on something else. The owl, I assumed, was looking down towards the ground for potential prey. After a few minutes the owl left some scat, and then with little warning, leapt off the branch and began flying deeper into the woods. I was unsure of the identification for this owl, but I believe that it was either a Barred Owl or a Great Gray Owl. After seeing this owl, I had trouble finding birds throughout the rest of my walk. I heard two House Sparrows while walking and saw four Canada Geese fly southward overhead as I was leaving the woods, but other than this, it was a mostly quiet night. It is interesting to think about the ways in which different species survive the winter, and the species I observed all handle winter in much different ways. For the owl I saw, its large size and downy feathers likely provide sufficient insulation for the owl to survive as long as it gets enough food and rest, meaning that it would mainly budget its time between hunting and resting. When I was observing the owl, it seemed to be hunting, which would make sense for this assumption. I wonder if the prey which owls hunt for during the wintertime is different in warmer seasons, and I assume that if it is, owls would be searching for larger prey during the winter because larger prey could sustain the owls for longer time periods without forcing them to expend energy on another hunt. The owls would likely overnight in snags with large cavities for warmth and protection. House Sparrows are another species I observed on my walk, and these species likely handle the winter much differently from large owl species. Without so much insulation, House Sparrows likely must spend much more time huddled in dense vegetation and small cavities within snags in order to keep warm. Food is likely difficult to find during the wintertime for House Sparrows, meaning they must also dedicate lots of time to foraging. With a species like this, it would be likely that wintertime conditions could kill many individuals, meaning that the species may also spend a considerable amount of time breeding to offset this impact. The Canada Geese are completely different from owls and sparrows in the way they handle winter conditions, migrating to the South when conditions get too cold. Throughout my walk, I made sure to keep an eye out for snag abundance in the different areas through which I walked. I noted eleven snags overall throughout my walk, and six of them were in the general area where I spotted the owl. The snags in this area were also larger, and filled with larger cavities, than the snags I saw elsewhere on my walk. It seems that in the wintertime especially, areas with abundant snags (and abundant cavities within these snags) are the areas where the most biodiversity can be observed. This is because snags are an important habitat for many winter species seeking to avoid the brutal winter conditions.

Posted on March 8, 2021 08:58 PM by tjkeegan tjkeegan

Observations

Photos / Sounds

What

Barred Owl (Strix varia)

Observer

tjkeegan

Date

March 2021

Description

I first saw this owl flying directly over my head, and I followed the direction it flew in order to get a closer look. I was successful in finding the owl again, and was able to get some photos and videos before it flew off again (which I was also able to record).

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Observer

tjkeegan

Date

March 6, 2021

Description

Heard calls from two House Sparrows while walking through Centennial.

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Observer

tjkeegan

Date

March 6, 2021

Description

Saw four Canada Geese flying southward overhead as I was leaving Centennial Woods Natural Area.

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