Once again, Conifers Block Pictures
First session
4 / 6 / 2020
11:30am - 12:40pm / 6:20pm – 7:19pm
Weather: Clear and sunny; 55 F
Birds:
1 Blue jay
1 Northern cardinal
2 Downy woodpeckers
3 Black-capped chickadees
Habitat: An open, mowed yard with an apple tree and large maple tree. The yard is regularly occupied by children and domestic chickens. The male and female downy woodpeckers were found to be entering cavities in the large maple. The Black-capped chickadees were near the chicken coop, maybe thinking about stealing hay. The male Northern cardinal and male Blue jay were perched on and flying between the smaller maples and lilacs and were having an agnostic encounter with each other.
Second session
4 / 8 / 2020
10:39am – 11:21am; 52 F
Weather: Clear and sunny
Birds:
1 Eastern Phoebe
1 Black-capped chickadee
1 Red-winged blackbird
1 American goldfinch
Habitat: A forested wetland with Eastern hemlocks, pines, oaks, speckled alder, staghorn sumacs, American beech, and yellow birch. There are steep inclines with most of the conifers but a flat area at the bottom which contains moist soil and lots of cattails and reeds. The Eastern phoebe was heard, but not spotted. The Black-capped chickadee and male American goldfinch were both seen darting to and from the speckled alders, yellow birches, and American beeches while singing. The red-winged blackbird was heard in the reeds and cattails but not seen. The Eastern phoebe was seen on the walk back up one of the inclines in a deciduous tree. All the birds were singing and flying rapidly around. I feel lucky to have caught so many in pictures.
From the selection of species observed, the Black-capped chickadee, Blue jay, Northern cardinal, American goldfinch, and the two Downy woodpeckers all remain in Vermont for the winter. They likely cannot undergo the migration due to a lack of food to build up fat stores or don’t have the instinct. During the winter, these species are known to visit bird feeders, which would keep them full if they could not find their usual food. They are also known, especially Blue jays and Black-capped chickadees, to store food in cavities and holes for the winter to eat later when food stores are low. To keep warm, these species nest in tree cavities and have insulating feathers to keep the cold out. The insulated feathers and cavity nesting is more common in species overwintering in cold regions. Black-capped chickadees have also been observed undergoing regulated hypothermia which would help maintain a healthy temperature while sleeping [1].
One of the first calls heard was the Eastern phoebe’s signature “Phoe-be”. I was excited to see the flycatcher but couldn’t spot the bird anywhere. Then, by luck, I managed to see and capture a picture of the bird later. The Eastern phoebe likely came from the Southeastern United States, which is it’s wintering range, as a bird flying from Mexico might be in the states later. Since the area of Vermont is within the bird’s breeding range, the Eastern Phoebe is likely finding a mate or making a nest. Since the birds are flycatchers and bugs are their main diet, they likely flew north as the bugs grew more active in the northern United States. Over the last few days, there have been more bugs flying around the house, so it is likely the Eastern Phoebe arrived with the active bugs waking.
Again, the red-winged blackbird provided me with their song but remained hidden. The same call was heard last week, so this could be the same bird. If it is the same bird, it is less likely the bird has migrated. Technically, the area of Vermont is not in the full-time resident zone for the bird, but across Lake Champlain is the full-time resident zone. Since the zone is so close, this could have been a bird which over-wintered in Vermont, but the species is known to migrate up to 800 miles. So, once the warm weather came, the bird could have flown from New York to Vermont for a better breeding ground with no other red-winged blackbirds present.
Early arrival is advantageous due to timing. The birds arriving first will have the first pick of breeding grounds and feeding sites. However, there can be snowstorms or a sudden frost which may leave the bird without a nest or food. In short, early arrival is a gamble which can provide advantages for the breeding season or starve/freeze the bird.
Total miles to Milton, VT
Black-capped chickadee – 0 miles
Northern cardinal – 0 miles
Blue jay – 0 miles
2 Downy woodpecker – 0 miles
American goldfinch – 0 miles
Eastern phoebe [from Georgia] – 956 miles
Red-winged blackbird [from the west bank of Lake Champlain] -17 miles
Total: 965 miles
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