Ornithology - April 24, 2021

Date - April 24, 2021

Start time - 8:40 am
End time - 10:33 am
Location - Little River State Park
eBird Checklist - https://ebird.org/vt/checklist/S86247171

We spent the morning at Little River State Park. We started out on the Dam in the hopes of spotting some water birds. There wasn't much out on the water but we did get our first of the year Common Loon accompanied by a Common Merganser. After spending a bit of time on the water, we walked into the park from the boat launch. A tentative Blue-headed Vireo took a while to ID as we kept "pushing it" away from us. Not sure how aversion to humans affects territory establishment, but the individual kept singing even as we pushed it farther and farther from its original singing perch. We heard another Blue-headed Vireo singing later that morning, but it was much farther into the park. I'm not sure if that is an indication of the large size of the BHVI territory or if, more likely, it's an indication that these were the first individuals to show up and that more are still on their way.

We saw some evidence of nesting with a robin sitting in a nest in a small pine (see photo observation). The individual flew out of the nest as I approached. The fact that I didn't get super close and the individual still left the nest suggests to me that there weren't yet any eggs in the nest yet. I also wasn't able to see any eggs present. The nest seemed fully built -- could it have been a nest from an earlier year or do Robins really build their nests that early? We also observed an old unoccupied nest that looked to be about the right size for some sort of warbler or vireo (see photo). It was very out in the open at the edge of a wooded area right by the road.

We also heard and saw 2 singing male Pine Warblers singing, very appropriately, in large pines or hemlocks. The only other behavior of interest was a male Wood Duck with his mate that were very skiddish -- perhaps indicative of the mate-guarding behavior they display?

Mini Activity- Sound Map:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18VHzwKV-9sURfp3Ex1XUBcTg2aeFHBXH/view?usp=sharing

Posted on April 26, 2021 09:02 PM by lizamorse