Ornithology - April 4 & 5, 2020

Date - April 5, 2021

Start time - 7:45 am
End time - 8:49 am
Location - Derway Island Nature Preserve
eBird Checklist - https://ebird.org/vt/checklist/S84865745

Revisited Derway to see if I could pick up anything new that I hadn't seen the day prior. I was lucky enough to see a Belted Kingfisher calling and flying over the Winooski. I also had a large number of Golden-crowned Kinglets who were very active in the tree tops. At one point during my walk, I witnessed what later Googling suggests was an American Robin courting ritual in which a flock of males chase a female. I didn't get a good look to see if the bird being chased was a female but there was clearly a chase going on involving at least 5 robins. At the end of the visit, I heard a unusually loud Red-breasted Nuthatch that seemed, along with his constant calling, to be displaying with constant wing flicks. He seemed to be doing this in reaction to the Downy Woodpeckers and White-breasted Nuthatches nearby. I mentioned the encounter to Allan and he suggested that perhaps one of the Screech-Owls (see notes from April 4 below) was nearby. Of course, like an idiot I hadn't even thought to check for those, but in retrospect it seems likely, as there seemed to be a general commotion amongst all the birds in the vicinity.

Date - April 4, 2021

Start time - 7:46 am
End time - 9:01 am
Location - Derway Island Nature Preserve
eBird Checklist - https://ebird.org/vt/checklist/S84766174

Went birding with a friend and our dogs in Derway Island Nature Preserve. There was definitely a lot more activity even than a week prior. Notable highlights were the mating desplay of a male Brown-headed Cowbird to a female, hearing an Eastern Phoebe singing, and seeing a male Wood Duck in a tree (see photo). Was hoping to see the Eastern Screech-Owls that have been seen there, but no such luck.

Mini Activity- Frequent Flyer: As you assemble your species list, use a trusted ornithology resource (a.k.a. All About Birds or Birds of The World species accounts) to determine the general wintering range for each species you encounter. With the aid of Google Maps or Google Earth, determine a rough straight-line distance between your site and the species’ wintering location. On a napkin or the back of an envelope, add up the rough total miles traveled by all the facultative and obligate migrants that have recently arrived at your natural area for your personal observation!

TOTAL DISTANCE = 7,775 miles

Canada Goose:
Year-round in some parts of Vermont & obligate migrant in others
Distance - 750 miles

Wood Duck:
Year-round in some parts of Vermont & obligate migrant in others
Distance - 1,550 miles

Common Goldeneye:
Obligate migrant
Distance - 100 miles

Hooded Merganser:
Year-round

Common Merganser:
Year-round

Double-crested Cormorant:
Obligate migrant
Distance - 450 miles

Great Blue Heron
Year-round

Bald Eagle
Facultative? I had trouble telling from Birds of the World
Distance - 225 miles

Red-bellied Woodpecker
Facultative? I had trouble telling from Birds of the World
Distance - 100 miles

Pileated Woodpecker
Year-round

Eastern Phoebe
Obligate migrant
Distance - 350 miles

Blue Jay
Year-round

Black-capped Chickadee
Year-round

Tufted Titmouse
Year-round

Red-breasted Nuthatch
Year-round

White-breasted Nuthatch
Year-round

Brown Creeper
Year-round

American Robin
Facultative
Distance - 1,250 miles

American Goldfinch
Year-round

Song Sparrow
Year-round

Red-winged Blackbird
Year-round in some parts of Vermont & obligate migrant in others
Year-round in Derway Island location

Brown-headed Cowbird
Year-round in some parts of Vermont & obligate migrant in others
Distance - 1,250 miles

Common Grackle
Year-round in some parts of Vermont & obligate migrant in others
Distance - 1,750 miles

Northern Cardinal
Year-round

Posted on April 5, 2021 08:03 PM by lizamorse