Diario de aneu

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 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 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 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.