A lot of ups and downs

May 20, 2020 7:00 am – 12:15 pm
Forest Milton VT

Weather: Clear and sunny & 45 degrees Fahrenheit to 70 degrees Fahrenheit

Habitat:
The forest was a mixed hardwood and deciduous forest. There were plenty of American beech, sugar maples, oaks, and some dogwoods. The deciduous trees were largely Eastern White pines with some Eastern Hemlocks. The terrain was very hilly with moist valleys of standing water. Most of the water did not host any wetland or water birds.

On the walk to the forest and at the forest entrance
Canada Goose x2
Eastern Phoebe x1
Blackburnian Warbler x1

Within the woods
Red-eyed Vireo x3
Ovenbird x5
American crow x1
Black-capped Chickadee x3
Great Crested Flycatcher x1
Blue Jay x4
White-breasted Nuthatch x3
Eastern Kingbird x2
Pileated Woodpecker x2
Mourning dove x1
Black-throated Green Warbler x5
American Redstart x1
Red-Breasted Nuthatch x4
Hermit Thrush x2
Northern Cardinal x1
Hairy Woodpecker x1
Wood Thrush x1

When I entered the woods, I tired to challenge myself to sit down and work out all of the calls I could hear. During this, I managed to hear a Red-eyed Vireo, Ovenbirds, a loud American crow, a single Black-capped Chickadee, and a Great Crested Flycatcher. I tried to track as many as I could down but only managed to find the Ovenbird and got distracted from the Great Crested Flycatcher by another bird flying past. After I identified the mystery bird as a Blue Jay, I tried to find the Great Crested Flycatcher but couldn’t hear the song anymore.

I found most of the birds though sound, then tried to find the bird themselves. This was a bit difficult as I could hear multiple calls and then had to decide which ones to follow first, not to mention the additional chorus of chipmunks. I was proud to have found the physical version of the Ovenbird, Hairy Woodpecker, and Blue Jay from their calls.

The Eastern Kingbird pair was found flying between trees under the powerline when I was transitioning from one side to the other. I was happy to hear their call for once. I was expecting them yesterday, so it was a nice surprise to see them today.

Once again, the Blue Jays were antagonizing each other. Usually when I saw a male Blue Jay, there was another male and they would catch each other.

The Northern Cardinal was found after I got lost in the forest. It was odd to hear the call of a Northern Cardinal in the woods until I realized I was next to a neighborhood. I also heard something like a Rose-breasted Grosbeak in the area but wasn’t sure if it was one as the notes where the same, but the number and pitch wasn’t.

Posted on May 20, 2020 07:41 PM by tormiller