Diario de aneu

On Saturday, April 25th between 6 pm and 8 pm, I walked along the long train in Bolton, Vermont to reach a cliff that faces in the West direction. The weather was approximately 45 degrees F and there were only a few clouds in the sky. At this point in the day, the sun was beginning to set. I saw a Black Crow on the highest point of a tree as I was getting out of my car in the parking lot. I then heard a Northern Cardinal and I was able to spot it in a nearby tree only moments after I saw the Black Crow. Then, at around 7:15 as I was on top of the rock face, I saw a Yellow Goldfinch in a tree, and it was blending in particularly well.

On April 19, 2020 from 11:00am to 1:00 pm, I hiked a short segment of the Long Trail (about 2 miles) in Bolton, Vermont with my roommate. The temperature was about 54 degrees F, and the sun was shining for majority of the day. It was also quite windy while we were hiking.

The hike starts out by bringing you up to a small cliff that overlooks the highway and a small valley. I had been here last week and saw multiple Peregrine Falcons in a tall tree near a rock face across the valley, so I wanted to see if they were still here today. Unfortunately, they were not in the trees, but I did see one soar high above us in the sky around 11:20 am. The falcon seemed to be making big circles before I lost sight of it. I think this behavior was either related to hunting for prey or perhaps for territory selection? The falcon was very high up in the sky, so I'm not sure if it would have been able to see prey. There was also a black vulture that passed over head minutes before, and the falcon was following in the same direction. This made me think that the falcon was patrolling its territory and making sure that the vulture wouldn't come near. The rock faces in Bolton are known to have Peregrine Falcon nests as they make for the perfect breeding habitat. I saw signs around the area to steer clear of the cliffs to not disrupt falcons. Not many other birds that I know of nest on rock ledges at high altitudes. I assume they pick these spots because they provide good shelter and allows them to hide from other predators like Eagles and Great Horned Owls. The rock ledges also allow the parents to hunt from them, as they can dive down towards prey that is flying by.

The next bird that I saw around 12:15 pm was a Hermit Thrush on the branch of a tree. It blended in very well, and I only noticed it because I happened to take a water break right then. The Hermit Thrush was not singing or moving, perhaps because I was a bit of a threat to it. The woods around it were pretty open with a lot of conifer trees, beech trees, and other smaller trees that I wasn't able to identify. There were also a lot of smaller shrubs and fallen over trees. While the bird wasn't moving when I was observing it, I imagine that it is trying to gather supplies for its nest since this habitat was perfect for ground nests. There were a lot of leaves and pine needles on the ground, which I think would be good materials for a Hermit Thrush nest, which is typically made on the ground in areas sheltered by shrubs and trees. This is different from other birds that nest in tree cavities, like tree swallows or chickadees. Those birds do not need to collect as many materials, they just need some leaf matter or something of the sorts to line the inside of the cavity. They don't have to form the outside of the nest since they instead make holes in soft wood to lay eggs in.

At around 12:40 pm, I heard some calls that I could not identify. As I stopped and looked through the trees, I saw four Hairy Woodpeckers flying around near each other. There were two males and two females. I had never heard a hairy woodpecker call, and I honestly never really thought that they even had a call besides banging their beaks into trees. The call was a short and sharp "peek" note, and the males seemed to be calling as they left a tree and flew to another. As I watched them for longer, it became more obvious that there were two separate pairs. It seemed as though the male would make a call and fly after the female and attempt to land right next to her on the tree or on a tree nearby. Each pair operated independently, but the pairs stayed in their respective areas. One pair remained to the left of me, and the other was further back to the right. They never overlapped trees or areas despite being so close to each other. I imagine that each pair had its own territory and they were very close to the territory of the other. I think the calls occurred as the pairs were making sure the other did not step over the imaginary territory dividing line. It reminded me of the video we watching in class with David Attenborough knocking on the tree and the woodpecker flying over to investigate and outcompete his knocks. Each territory consisted of the same habitat since they were so close to each other. Both habitat were therefore pretty rich in that they had a variety of living and dead trees with lots of cavities. The dead trees with cavities seemed like the perfect nesting spot for the woodpeckers, although I did not see any evidence of nesting.

I did the sound map activity for the woodpeckers. Each squiggle represents a call made, and the red represents one pair while the blue represents the other pair. I made this note in my phone because I didn't have any paper! Also my apologies for the poor quality photos of the woodpeckers- they were hard to see when they weren't in flight.

On Wednesday, April 15th, 2020 from 3:30 to 4:30 pm, I walked around the woods near the upper west cliff of Bolton. The habitat was a heavily wooded forest with large trees and a giant cliff. The ground was rather dry, but there were some streams flowing down the rocks, which were very mossy. The habitat where the Peregrine Falcons were seen was rocky and a few very tall trees were scattered through the landscape. It was approximately 43 degrees Fahrenheit, and the sun was shining. It was very windy. I saw 6-7 Peregrine Falcons together (which I thought was very interesting behavior) and 3 thrushes towards the bottom of the the cliff.

On April 7, 2020 from 1:00pm to 2:00pm, I went for a run around Burlington. I started on South Willard and ran up to South Prospect and then down to the waterfront and back up. The weather was beautiful- sunny and 50 degrees with very little wind. This field journal was a bit different than my others. I am currently quarantining in my apartment in Burlington, so I really only go outside to get exercise. I decided to combine my run with bird-watching. It was actually quite successful because there were so many birds out and about on this nice spring day, and the streets are very empty lately which may allow for birds to be more active. It was also super nice for me to get outside and bird-watching really takes my mind off of how far I'm running because I'm quizzing myself on bird calls and trying to spot different species. The only down-side to running and simultaneously bird-watching is that my ability to take pictures goes straight down hill, so I apologize in advance for the quality of my photos.

Going up college street, there are trees at the top (near South Prospect) that are bare with the exception of a few berries. Whenever I walk past these trees I head chickadee calls, but today was one of the only days that I actually saw the black-capped chickadee. I always forget how small they are! I have heard black-capped chickadees throughout the entire winter in Vermont because they are year-round residents. They find holes in trees to shelter themselves and keep warm in the winter, and they also 'huddle' up with others to retain body heat. The benefits of migrating must not outweigh the benefits of sticking around in Vermont, perhaps because they are an omnivorous species and have a somewhat generalist diet. There is no need to migrate south for food sources.

I then saw and heard approximately four American Robins while running down South Prospect St. It had rained earlier that morning, so I suspect the American Robins on the ground were searching for worms? This was the first time all winter that I saw robins foraging on the ground rather than in trees for berries. When researching the migratory range of American Robins, it seems that some do migrate south to Florida for the winter, but some also stick around in the North. There are still food sources here for them in the winter (berries), so I think they'd be likely to stick around. However, if there is a very harsh and cold winter, I would imagine that the robins would migrate south and switch their diet from worms and invertebrates to fruits and berries.

I also heard a Blue Jay near the American Robins. I have seen and heard Blue Jays in Vermont all winter, and I've even heard them on tops of ski mountains. They are able to tolerate the extreme temperatures by flocking in the winter to keep warm and also to reduce the amount of energy needed to be vigilant. Similarly to American Robins, Blue Jays shift their diet from insects in the summer to fruits and berries in the winter. It seems like their migratory patterns are not fully known yet, but most individuals tend to stick out the northern winters. During mild winters in Vermont, there are still berries on trees. So, perhaps there is less competition for food if they stay in the north rather than migrate south with all the other species to feed on fruits.

Then, while running down Maple Street, I practically ran into a Common Grackle that was walking along the sidewalk. As I got closer, the bird hopped further into the grass near a bush, and I spotted another one along with it. I hadn't seen any Common Grackles in Burlington before this day, so I suspected that they just arrived. I looked up a range map for this species, and it shows that they are permanent residents of New York and the rest of the southern states. Vermont is indicated as part of the species' breeding range. So, I think it's safe to say they just arrived in Vermont to prepare for their breeding season. It doesn't seem like there is a big difference between the NY and VT winters, but I suppose the only thing that changed for this species to move northward for breeding is that competition for food got more intense in the southern states as other birds also began to migrate back north for the spring/summer. There are also signs of spring in Vermont, as the ground is no longer frozen so they can feed on invertebrate arthropods (like beetles and caterpillars). They also feed on seeds (from agricultural grains such as corn and rice), so perhaps they are able to find these seeds in VT now as farmers begin to ready their fields for the season.

I'm hoping to come across more obligate migrants in the next couple of weeks as more and more start to arrive in Vermont!

On March 8, 2020 from 9:30am to 11:00 am, I walked a loop with my grandfather in Naples, Florida that led us along the beach and then back on a paved trail near mangroves. The loop was approximately 2 miles long, and it took us almost exactly an hour and a half due to all the stops we made to observe the wildlife. The sun was out and there were some clouds in the sky, but the sky got more overcast as our walk proceeded.

The first bird we saw while walking on the beach was a white Ibis. I had never seen an Ibis before, and I had only recently discovered them via a picture I was sent by a friend who lives in Houston, Texas. This bird was alone on the shore, and was sticking its long pink beak into the sand to search for (assumingely) crabs or something of the sort. The legs of the bird were also a dark pink/red, and the body was all white. I think the white body offers an evolutionary advantage because it provides the bird with some cryptic coloration/camouflage against the sand. The bright color of the bill may also be advantageous for males to drive off other males and attract females? The wings also have black on the tips, which I'm assuming is to add strength to the flight feathers. The white ibis was also foraging at around 9:45am. Since Naples, FL is very southern and warm year-round, I assume this routine does not change much for the bird as the environmental conditions are relatively consistent. It does indicate though that the bird is diurnal rather than nocturnal, and there is no need to forage at a very specific time of day because it is digging its beak into the sand to find food anyway.

At around 10:05, we saw a large group of black skimmers on the beach right in front of the water. I found this to be quite strange because the beach was populated by people who were sitting no more than 10 ft away from the birds. However, the birds and the people really were not interacting at all. Most of the birds were either facing towards the water or away from the water. I figured that the birds facing towards the water were trying to face the wind so that they could retain their body heat. The sun was in the other direction though, so maybe the other birds were facing the sun so as to warm up? They seemed to be resting and drying/warming up after searching for fish in the ocean. These birds are also very funky looking- it doesn't look like they have eyes! The top of their head and their back is black, and there is a white ring around the beak that extends to the bird's stomach. The coloration of these birds seems to follow countershading, in which the white underneath has no pigment in it and reflects the surroundings. This would help the bird avoid predators via cryptic coloration, just without the energetic investment of producing melanin or other pigments. The beaks are red at the base and black at the tip, and the white strip of feather seems to accentuate the beak. These birds were also make lots of sounds, but it really just seemed like they were telling each other to give them their personal space. Whenever one of the birds was trying to move or walk through the pack, the others squawked at it.

At 10:30, we came across a human-made nesting pole for osprey. There was an adult in the nest along with two chicks. The chicks seems to be of decent size as we could see them while standing about 30 feet away. The pole was about 12 ft high, and the nest was perched perfectly on top of it. As we watched the family of osprey, the adult left the nest and flew around the mangroves in circles. It looked like it was searching for food, although I never actually saw it pick up/catch anything. This foraging behavior lines up with its cirannual rhythm because since the adult is raising chicks, it needs to provide for both itself and them. I am not familiar with the breeding season of osprey or most other birds in warmer climates, so I was kind of surprised to see a nest with chicks in the middle of March. Osprey have very interesting coloration... when their wings are folded in, they are just brown with white on their heads and undersides. This countershading seems important for osprey to blend in with their surroundings to avoid predators like owls and eagles. When they fly though, the undersides of their wings are striped. The chicks were also making little calls while the adult circled the nest, and it definitely seemed like these calls were meant to signify that they were hungry.

Around 10:50, we were back on a paved path walking towards the parking lot where we parked. One each side of the path, there are little stagnant rivers. This is where we saw alligators! Walking across the path was a very strange looking bird, which I identified to be an Anhinga. I had never seen a bird like this before, and when getting closer to it I thought it was injured because it was walking in such a strange and unbothered way. The bird started to move faster as we got closer, and then it scurried away to the edge of the water. The bird had a very long beak and fuzzy hairs around its head. The next was also very long, and after looking up the bird I learned that they are often referred to as snakebirds for this reason.

On March 3, 2020 from 12:30pm to 2:00pm, I walked a friend's dog around the edge of their property in Shelburne. When I first went outside, the sun was out and shining, and it was about ~34 degrees with little wind. Throughout my time birdwatching, the sun slowly began to go away and the sky was very overcast. The property consists of the house, driveway, yard, and a piece of farm land that I am guessing is used for corn in the summer months. Altogether, the property is probably about 2 acres big. The edge of the driveway and the yard is lined with different trees, including pine trees, tall and bare trees, and trees with berries on them.

At 12:30, I saw four American Robins hopping around on trees around the house. They were on trees that had little red berries hanging off of them. Eating berries on these trees is a winter adaptation for these birds, because the ground is too hard for the robins to look for worms in the grass/dirt. When the ground softens up in the coming months, I think the robins will transition from the berries to the worms. The robins were splitting their time between resting and foraging for berries. I also think that since all the berry trees are surrounding the house (and these types of trees are typically found around developments), that the robins are using the houses and the landscaping as shelter to sleep at night. The houses provide good protection against wind, and the bushes and trees that are planted for landscaping also provide protection against weather and predators.

I also got really lucky when I was looking for birds in the trees around the house... I heard a knocking and I looked up to find a hairy woodpecker up in a branch. It was very high up, but the beak looked longer than the head, so I guessed that it was a hairy woodpecker over a downy woodpecker. It also seemed small to me, which is why I didn't think it was a pileated woodpecker. I also did not see any red on the head, which led me to believe that it is a female. I am also not sure what kind of tree the woodpecker was in, but it looked like she was looking for food. I know that insects often lay their larvae in trees, so maybe the woodpecker was drilling for larva and pupa to feed on? This also seems like a winter adaptation because there are no insects out and about in the winter in VT, so the woodpeckers must adjust their diet and go for larvae that is alive and protected in the winter. After doing some research post-bird watching, I found that hairy woodpeckers prefer to eat beetles in the warmer temperature. So perhaps in the winter, they feed on beetle larvae rather than the adults to sustain themselves. This tree also had many holes in it, some of which seemed large enough for a bird to fit in. It could be that this woodpecker was foraging for larvae on the tree and also uses the bigger cavities to sleep in during the cold winter nights. The tree cavities could also serve as a sleeping quarter for other species of birds, although when I tapped on the tree no other birds seemed to be in the cavity. I watched the woodpecker for about 15 minutes, and it seemed like the woodpecker was solely using its time to forage/drill the tree. The weather was very nice at this point, so maybe the woodpecker was taking advantage and using this time to find food.

I ended up walking around for a while before seeing any birds. I think part of the reason for this was because I had a dog with me, who was off leash and may have deterred birds from flying in. Also, the large field may have also deterred birds since there is no shelter or hiding spaces. The next bird sighting occurred around 1:50, in which two American Crows were flying East after a hawk. I think the hawk was a red-tailed hawk, but it was somewhat difficult to see the red tail as there was a lot of movement in the sky. The crows were almost teaming up on the hawk, and it seemed like they were trying to chase it away. The hawk ended up flying further East and I lost sight of it, but the two crows remained in the sky. I think this territorial/aggressive behavior is definitely an unwanted expenditure of energy in the cold winter months, but perhaps the crows were chasing the hawk away from a food source? In that case, it makes sense that this was a necessary use of energy so that they could obtain food that is most likely scarce. I was also expecting to see a hawk since the property had a large field on it, and hawks would probably be able to search for rodents in the big open area. This would make hunting easier in the winter, since rodents are hard to scout out in denser areas and they are scarce to begin with in the winter.

On February 10, 2020 from 12:30 to 2:00 pm, I walked along a snowmobile trail in Shelburne, Vermont to observe birds. The temperature was ~37 degrees Fahrenheit, and there was a fair amount of wind.

At around 12:40pm, I spotted a Black Vulture flying in the distance. It was gliding at a high altitude, and it did so by keeping its wings spread out to the sides and only flapping a couple times. Each wing stroke was very powerful and lifted the vulture higher and further. The wings of the black vulture are considered to be slotted, high lift, as the ends of the wings have finger-like feathers that work as an air foil and provides lift. It makes sense that this bird was gliding in circles because it was probably searching for food/roadkill.

Around 1:00pm, I heard black-capped chickadees calling nearby. I heard them calling and singing for approximately 30 minutes before I walked out of range. There were at least two chickadees, but there may have been more. The most frequent sound was the “cheeseburger” tune, but I also heard the classic “chickadee-dee-dee-dee” call. I wasn’t able to actually locate the chickadees because there were many trees and bushes around and they blend in well. It was fairly windy outside and the sun was not fully out, so perhaps the chickadees were staying put in the trees and trying to conserve their body heat. At night, black-capped chickadees go into controlled hypothermia and conserve their hourly metabolic expenditure. However, in the afternoon, the black-capped chickadees may have been perched in a tree cavity to stay warm and that is the reason why I wasn’t able to see them.

Around 1:45pm, I was walking close to a couple of houses and saw five American Robins flying around between the bushes and the trees. I watched the birds from a distance for a while so that they wouldn’t fly away. They were fluttering from branch to branch but would pause on a branch before they moved to another. I found it interesting that the robins were so close to the houses rather than in the trees along the more secluded path. The ground had snow on it, so I imagine the ground is too frozen for the robins to find worms. The trees and bushes that they were on looked like they had little berries/fruits left on them, so they were probably foraging for those. The berry/fruit trees are probably more likely to be planted near homes (for landscaping), so maybe that is why I saw so many robins here. From observing their wings, I think they fall under the category of elliptical, which are the default wing type, They have frayed feathers at the end of their wings, and the primary feathers are much shorter than the secondary feathers. When I walked closer, the robins took off simultaneously. I watched one bird specifically as it flew away, and it had 3-4 smooth wing beats followed by a short glide in which the wings were held tightly into the body.