Field Journal 2- Moose Bog

Field Journal Entry 2:

Date - 21 February 2021
Start time - 8:30am
End time - 1:15pm
Location - Moose Bog, Island Pond, VT
Weather - 20 degrees Fahrenheit, little to no wind, no precipitation.
Habitat(s) - Spruce Fir Forest

The particular species I observed on my trip to Moose Bog was the northern dwelling Canada jay. This Jay did not make an appearance until the group of birders I was with returned to the NWR's parking lot. The bird first landed on a tall spruce tree before making its distinctive calls. Canada Jay's have an elliptical generalist, but almost rounded wing shape. This makes sense in relation to its habitat, as elliptical generalist wings are needed to maneuver around trees and have a bit of drag. Another feature that allowed for the Canada Jay's maneuverability was its long tail, which made it look similar to a Sharp-shinned Hawk.
The most apparent feature of this bird's flight pattern was its similarity to a Sharp-shinned Hawk's flight pattern. The Jay had very few snappy wingbeats followed by periods of gliding, and looked almost unsteady in flight. Since this pattern of flight was so interesting and unique, this definitely can be a useful identification tool.
Another species I observed was a Red-breasted Nuthatch (image included!). This species behaved basically in an opposite manner than the Canada jay. The Red-breasted Nuthatch had extremely fast wingbeats, and stayed in a location for only a short amount of time.

Posted on February 22, 2021 02:34 AM by mia0507