Field Journal #7 - M. Joyall

Date: 4/25/21
Start Time: 4:20pm
End Time: 6:19pm
Location: Shelburne Bay Park
Weather: Cloudy, light rain showers, 55 F, Light breeze out of NW (6mph)
Habitat(s): Marshland at edge of lake, Mixed deciduous coniferous forest with heavy hemlock presence

Oh man! Aquatic birds delight! The gray, rainy weather on Sunday afternoon left few people out on the trails by Shelburne Bay – nice and quiet for some ornotherapy. I followed the trail closest to the water along the edge of the park, this treated me to several awesome shorebird sightings! Before getting to the water’s edge, an American Robin greeted me as I looked at the park’s trail map. I later found that same robin jumping around on the ground near the picnic area with what appeared to be its’ mate. Heading into the woods, a Black-capped Chickadee chirped a ‘hello’ from its’ perch in a white cedar. In the southwest corner of the bay, near the parking lot, I spotted 5 Canada Geese on what appeared to be their nesting ground. It looked like there were two distinct pairs and a fifth goose sort of off by itself. It seemed like they had established control over the area, and it looked like a prime territory as it offered moderate protection and was somewhat camouflaged from human foot traffic. As I was watching them, a lone Mallard meandered through their territory and quickly departed. One of the geese beat their wings seemingly in an act of defiance. In the far distance, by the Shelburne Bay boat Access Area, I spied two Ring-billed Gulls – one standing still on shore and the other circling on the hunt for a meal.

I stepped away from shore and into the woods, the trail at the park is funny in that you feel positioned between two worlds, the aquatic world and the woody world. In each world, the respective birds have ideal nesting sites - cozy hemlocks for the Chickadees, and wet, marshy areas for the Canada Geese. Four Black-capped Chickadees hopped around high up in hemlock tree in the wooded world behind me. Back on the waterfront, I heard the distinct call of a Belted Kingfisher, who quickly darted past before perching in a shorefront tree fifty yards south of me. This was my first time seeing one and actually knowing the species, very neat! The buoys were set out for the little marina that is off the coast there in the summer and I almost missed it, but a Double-crested Cormorant was patiently perched on one of the buoys. We silently took note of each other. I stood on the shoreline there for a while and a Ring-billed Gull approached. I got to witness him catch some sort of crawfish. Once the meal was secured, he began calling, I imagine to his mate, to come and share the meal. This was just one instance of couples searching for food that I observed. It was cool to witness this process of food acquisition and then sharing it with the bird’s family unit (well just mate at the moment).

Further along the trail I spotted several more Black-capped Chickadees high up in another hemlock, they seemed to be diligently collecting food. I suspect that the Chickadees will utilize small woody materials on the forest floor to build their nests and perhaps additionally use grasses from nearby aquatic areas.There is a nubby peninsula along the trail, and from it I could see a pair of Double-crested Cormorants on the water in the distance. They took turns diving, I was surprised by how long they could stay submerged. It was cool seeing several species in pairs, heralding the start of mating season. As I was watching them, I heard the familiar call of a Common Loon, a few seconds later one swam around the bend and appeared along the shore in front of me.

Before I headed back to the city, I drove one hundred yards down the street to the Shelburne Bay boat Access Ramp. There is a marshy section along the ramp, and it was alive with the calls of Red-winged Blackbirds. I spied two tucked into the reeds and heard what sounded like several others. All in all, a nice opportunity for some ornotherapy on a drizzly Sunday afternoon!

Sound Map attached as observation.

Posted on April 26, 2021 04:52 PM by youngtormund