Field Journal 4: Communication

Date: March 20, 2021
Start: 9:30
End: 11:00

Location: Burlington bike path, south of ECHO
Weather: Clear skies, breezy
Habitats: Residential, lakeshore, some trees

Species List:
Ring-billed Gull- ~30
Mallard- 19
Common Merganser- 3
Common Grackle- 15
Merlin- 1
Common Goldeneye- 3
Canadian Goose- 1
Northern Cardinal- 2
Black-capped Chickadee- 1

I went birdwatching on Saturday morning with the Ornithology group starting at the ECHO center and walking south along the Burlington bike path. While the sky was clear and sunny, it was still a bit cold (~35 ℉) and the lake made it quite windy. Most of my observations were made up of shorebirds such as Ring-billed Gulls and Mallards.
In terms of vocal communication, I noticed the Ring-billed Gulls specifically were very noisy. As about a dozen circled, soared, and dove overhead, they let out several bursts of caws. It seemed directed at each other and one would occasionally chase another. Based on my knowledge and the aggressive nature of this communicative behavior, I would guess this could be a way of protecting territory/food. Since Ring-billed Gulls usually breed during the months of May-August, it is too early in their circannual cycle for these to be mating attempts.
In response to their circadian rhythms, I observed varying behaviors such as foraging from Ring-billed Gulls and Common Mergansers as well as resting from Mallards on shore. A group of Mallards of mainly females were sitting on a rocky and icy beach near the bike path bridge. I think this behavior could have also been to maintain body temperature in response to the wind by basking in the sun since it was still pretty early and the day still had a few hours to reach its peak temperature.
To compare plumages, I will contrast the stars of my birdwatching journey: the Mallard and the Ring-billed Gull. Both are birds that spend most of their time in/around water and yet their plumages are vastly different. While the gull is mostly a bright white, the duck is mainly brown/darker colors. These colors aid in their different feeding techniques. Ring-billed gulls spend a lot of their time flying to spot their food, so their white coloration allows them to blend in with the bright sky and clouds above. Mallards are dabbling ducks so search for food on the water in ponds, lakes, and rivers. Their earthier tones let them blend in with the reeds around them, which hides them from predators so they can focus on dabbling.
Near the end of my walk, while in a thin spread of trees away from the shore near the water treatment plant, I spotted a male and female Northern Cardinal fluttering together. It is the start of the cardinal breeding season so they were likely a mating pair. They looked to be foraging for seeds on the ground together.

Mini Activity: Spishing

Since learning about this technique, I have tested it and gotten positive results (on birds and cats alike). I’ve had chickadees and a robin approach and look around curiously. The sound to me resembles the quiet squeaks/rustlings of a rodent or perhaps another small bird. These sounds could communicate that there is food available nearby. Rodents and small birds seem to have similar diets and many species of rodent stash food away for winter. So, if a bird hears this sound they might know to look around for this stash.

Posted on March 23, 2021 02:56 AM by