Diario de avilensky

Date: 5/28/2021
Start Time: 6:45
End Time: 12:15
Location: Burncoat Pond Wildlife Sanctuary
Weather: 48 degrees, partly cloudy, 8mph wind
Habitat: field/ grassland, wetlands, and mostly deciduous forest

• grassland: some patches of shrubs and trees, had 4 foot tall grass, red clover, milkweed, gray birch, oriental bittersweet, guelder-rose, gray dogwood, lady fern, sensitive fern
• wetlands: a couple of snags, sensitive fern, cattails, and lots of grass about 3 feet tall
• deciduous forest: mostly American beech, red alder, striped maple, red oak, some patches of eastern hayscented fern, mountain laurel, few pines, and hemlocks
• I spent the majority of my time today in the woods but each section of woods had different species dominating the area

Today I went to a large plot of conserved land, owned by Audubon. The first habitat I encountered was a huge grassland filled with Bobolinks, Blue-winged Warblers, Song Sparrows, Baltimore Orioles, American Robins, Common Yellowthroats, Red-winged Blackbirds, and Gray Catbirds. I tried spishing with some of the Song Sparrows and they were very interested in the noise. I was able to do this on three separate occasions throughout the trip and all of them poked their heads out of the shrubs to see where the noise was coming from. There were several Bobolinks flying around the grassland with each other. This was the first time I was able to actually see Bobolinks and really hear their amazing song. As I approached the forest, I heard the Red-eyed Vireo, Black-and-white Warbler, Tufted Titmouse, and the Ovenbird. Inside the woods I heard a couple White-breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Wood-Pewees, and Eastern Towhee. The forest seemed much quieter than the grassland, but as I got deeper into the woods I saw a couple Hermit Thrush which were staying quiet. I realized how much I really needed to look around so that I don't miss any species or scare them away before I saw them.
When I had walked that whole trail, I moved on to another trail on the other side of the grassland that had more wetland habitat. As I was walking to that trail, I saw a captive White Peafowl, which was the source of the weird noise I kept hearing every so often. Once I got onto the path, I saw several salamanders. I got distracted for a bit while I thought that one was injured. I started walking again and wasn't hearing many new species. I got to another grassland, tried to find my way to another path and got lost in the woods. I ended up in the wetland and all that was there were Red-winged Blackbirds. I found the path again, which took me to yet another, even larger, grassland with strips of shrubs and trees. That is where I saw several new species. I heard a bunch of Prairie Warblers songs, heard Indigo Bunting, saw a Wild Turkey, a bunch of tree swallows, and a Red-bellied Woodpecker. I was filled with so much joy even with my soaking wet shoes from the wetland. I took my time here and listened to several birds calls and songs. It was such a beautiful place and I'm glad that getting lost led me there. As I approached the woods again I heard some Great Crested Flycatchers.
Once I got back in the woods, I heard a Veery and I saw some Yellowthroats, a male and a female, which I spished to and they were really interested in it. I got back to the first grassland and saw a turkey vulture soaring above my head. The bobolinks were still there and singing like crazy. My trip today was amazing. I'm so glad I got to take this class and learn more about the wildlife in nature. Each course I take on different aspects of nature, strengthens my relationship with nature and creates a deeper appreciation for the organisms that inhabit natural areas.

Date: 5/27/2021
Start Time: 7:15
End Time: 12:30
Location: Westborough Wildlife Management Area (Westborough, MA)
Weather: 65 degrees, sunny, humid from storm overnight, W 9mph winds
Habitat: deciduous woods, fields/ meadows, lakeside, marshes

• woods mostly red maple, red oak, and ash with some bigtooth aspen, quaking aspen, white pines, and American elms
• fields with grass 2.5 feet and taller, milkweed, wild mustard, and purple clover
• marshes had watershield, skunk cabbage, and grass growing in the water (about 2 feet above water level)
• my time was equally spread between these habitats

As soon as I parked my car, I spotted a Brown-headed Cowbird sitting on a side view mirror of the car next to me. When I got out, I already heard several different species calls and songs. There was the Blue-winged Warbler, Tufted Titmouse, Red-winged Blackbird, Black-capped Chickadee, American Redstart, Ovenbird, Red-eyed Vireo, Yellow Warbler, American Robin, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and Warbling Vireo all calling and singing at the same time. As I walked away from the cluster of noise, I was able to pick out the individual calls or songs better. The trail started beside a large lake in which I saw some Mallards swimming in. As I walked further along the path, I was deeper in the woods and further from the lake. That's where I heard Gray Catbirds, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Veery, and Eastern Wood-Pewee. It was a bit difficult to record since I was getting swarmed by mosquitos. There were several different diverging paths in the woods and I decided to take one that went to a field that looked like it was going to be used for farming. I heard Baltimore Orioles, Ovenbirds, and American Goldfinches.
Another trail emerged where I was lead to a marsh. Once again, Red-winged Blackbirds made it a challenge to identify any other birds. I spotted a duck which had a mostly black or gray plumage with a white breast and black legs and feet. I am still unsure of what species it was but, from what I researched, it may be a Bufflehead or a Harlequin Duck. There is a possibility that it is a hybrid. I also saw another unidentifiable bird that looked Goose-like and had a white neck with two black stripes on it. Maybe there was something in that Marsh air that made me see some odd things... Other species I was able to identify included the Black-throated Blue Warbler, an Eastern Kingbird, and a Baltimore Oriole.
After spending some time in the marsh, I headed down the path to a wooded area with a field next to it. I heard a Field Sparrow, Wood Thrush, White-breasted Nuthatch, and Scarlet Tanager. The field next to me looked like a good place to bird, however, the grass was up to my hip and I didn't feel comfortable going through it. Once I got to the end of that trail, I decided to drive over to another entrance since I wasn't finding many new species. At the other entrance, was a path through the field I wanted to bird in. I saw a bunch of Tree Swallows and Barn Swallows zipping around, a bit low in the sky. They made some really pretty calls and I was so glad I went over to the other entrance. I walked further down an abandoned road off to the side of the field and there was another field covered in bright yellow wild mustard flowers. Next to the field was another marsh area. There were mostly Baltimore Orioles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Yellowthroats, American Goldfinches and some Mourning Doves. Although this was a bit of a rough trip in some parts and I didn't visually observe many birds, it was worth seeing the beautiful views of the landscape and hearing the wonderful sounds of the birds.

Date: 5/26/2021
Start time: 7:09
End time: 12:05
Location: Crane Swamp (Northborough, MA)
Weather: 63 degrees at start, 80 degrees by end, partly cloudy in beginning, sunny at end, SW 8mph wind
Habitat: forest edge next to highway (in beginning strip) with white pine, red maple, red oak, paper birch, lady ferns

• forest edge next to calm, slow-moving river with grass up to 2 feet, mostly white pine
• swamp with cattails, tall grass, skunk cabbage, buttonbush, lily pads, dead snags, and American elm
• dense forest dominated with white pines, red maples, and lots of ferns
• meadow of 4 foot tall grass surrounded by forest
• my time was mostly spent in the swamp and next to the river

I began my trip listening to a Song Sparrow sitting on a wire. The highway was beyond a strip of trees behind the Sparrow, which drowned the sounds of the birds. I walked a little further and heard a couple more birds, however, the highway was still too much noise. Once I turned the corner, there was a river and woods on either side. The woods blocked the noise from the highway and I was able to hear a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, American Crow, Blue-winged Warbler, Black-capped Chickadee, and an Ovenbird. In the river, there was a male Mallard and a bit further from it was a female Mallard with her four ducklings. She seemed very defensive of her children as I got a little closer to get a picture. I caught a glimpse of a Black-and-white Warbler as well as a Blue Jay as they flew up into a white pine. Today, there were mostly Ovenbirds and American Robins which called out over the rest of the birds. However, I was still able to hear some new sounds (to me) from the Wood Thrush, Hermit Thrush, and Brown Thrasher.
When I got on a trail to the swamp, I was overwhelmed by Red-winged Blackbird calls as well as so many others. I saw a lot of Baltimore Orioles, Catbirds, and Yellow Warblers. I had fun playing some of their calls back to them and seeing their reactions. As I was walking further down, into a mixture of woods and swamp, I got very excited when I heard the amazing song of the Veery. It was far away but I was able to record it on my phone. At the end of the trail, there was another area full of cattails, grasses, and of course, Red-winged Blackbird. I was about to head back on the trail when I saw my first ever Cedar Waxwing! I was so amazed by the dark stripe over its eyes and the soft gradient of its plumage, going from a beige-grey to white. I played some of its calls and it started flying around looking for where it was coming from. While it was searching for the source of the sound, another Waxwing joined it on the same branch.
Once I was out of the swamp, I walked down a road, where a water treatment facility was, and headed into the woods. I heard a lot of familiar calls, the Ovenbird once again, the Red-eyed Vireo, and lots of American Robins. There were only a few new species I heard/ saw like the calls of the Great Crested Flycatcher and White-breasted Nuthatch as well as a sighting of a Red-tailed Hawk. The rest of my trip I struggled with finding new species. I eventually turned back around and followed the trail back to the road, then down the river and back to the parking lot. On my way back, I noticed the same calls coming from the same areas. I heard the Towhee, House Wren, Catbirds, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak all calling from the same patches of woods that I left them in. It reminded me of what we learned last semester in Ornithology, about the areas that birds nest and defend. It would be interesting to know how much each species traveled in a day.

Date: 5/25/2021
Start time: 7:08
End time: 12:30
Location: Chestnut Hill Farm Trailhead (Southborough, MA)
Weather: 52 degrees at start, 72 degrees by end, sunny, 5 percent clouds, SW 8 mph wind
Habitat: farm land with fences boxing in some areas, few and small patches of trees, some small hills, rock wall near barn

• denser forest (mostly deciduous) in the far back on the east side, some streams in the woods, small river on the west side, grass in fields were maintained at a low height (highest it got was likely 2.5 feet)
• tree species: hickory, American linden, red oak, red maple, white ash, white pine (minimal), Norway spruce (on west side next to river)
• shrub species: geraniums, buttercups, cinnamon fern, interrupted wood fern, royal fern, lady fern
• I spent an equal amount of time in the open field as I did in the fields within the forest

I first spent some time by an open barn as well since Eastern Phoebes and Barn Swallows were flying in and out of the barn. Just outside of the barn were American Robins, Eastern Bluebirds, and Mourning Doves, all flying from the tree to the ground and all around. I started to make my way up the path made by the tires of the vehicles from the farm. Once again, I was faced with so many Red-winged Blackbirds creating several vocalizations. This time (for the most part) I knew which calls were theirs and which were other species. I noticed some birds sitting on an electric fence and wondered how in the hell they weren't getting shocked. I later looked it up and found they are not good conductors of electricity!
Heading down the field, there weren't many species that I hadn't already seen. Once I got to the woods in the back, I found two separate Song Sparrows and a Northern Cardinal on the meadow trail. As I walked further down the trail there were a ton more birds in the meadows in the woods. I heard a Common Yellowthroat, White-breasted Nuthatch, Ovenbird, Tufted Titmouse, Blue Jay, Eastern-wood Pewee, American Goldfinch, Chipping Sparrow, and a Blue-Winged Warbler. All of them were hiding in the trees. I was able to see the American Goldfinch with my binoculars but it quickly flew away.
Once I got back out to the field, I saw my first ever Killdeer. There was a group of Mourning Doves near it which all taunted and scared it off. I walked back down the field, over near the barn and saw an Eastern Bluebird which tilted its head at me. It would come down to the ground to peck at the ground and then fly back up on its perch. Nearby I heard the famous "sweet, sweet, sweet, little-more-sweet" from a Yellow Warbler, as well as a Chickadee. I walked across the street to the Beals Loop Trail in another field which had goats and sheep. I believe I heard a European Starling, Baltimore Oriole, Bobolink, and of course, a bunch of Red-winged Blackbirds. A lot of the birds seemed to enjoy sitting upon the wooden fence posts, likely standing their ground. I did a double take on a bird that I thought was a large sparrow but I noticed it had a longer, thinner bill, a red spot on the back of its neck, and an orangey tint on the underside of its wings. I looked it up in iNat and it said it was likely a Northern Flicker.
Overall I had an amazing trip once again, seeing so many birds I hadn't seen before.

Date: 5/24/2021
Start: 7:47 (note: this site was 50+ mins away from my home)
End: 12:00
Location: Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge (Sudbury, MA)
Weather: 61 degrees at start, partly cloudy, wind East 4mph
Habitat: mostly deciduous woods surrounding a scrub-shrub wetland with a slow moving river running through it

• hill in woods which leads down to wetland
• species: paper birch, sensitive fern, wood fern, silver maple, white oak, witch hazel, eastern hemlock, tall grass, cinnamon fern, royal fern, bottonbush, water chestnut
• I spent the majority of my time by the river as well as by the shrubs near the water

I started my birding on the Weir Hill trail, however, the trail went deeper in the woods so I verged off of it, going toward the Sudbury River. The most prominent (and annoying) species present in this area were the Red-winged Blackbirds. The numerous variations in their calls made other species' calls hard to pick out. The first call that I was able to pick out was the Common Yellowthroat. As I walked further down the river, the shrubs began to block my view of the water. I was able to hear a Canada Goose through the shrubs. I decided to go up the hill in the woods and heard some Tufted Titmice, Northern Cardinals, American Robins, and White-breasted Nuthatches. I decided to try and go a little closer into the shrubs and did some spishing. Four Song Sparrows seemed to enjoy the noise and came out of the shrubs to greet me. I didn't see many other species around so I rounded back to the trail and to a boat launch where I saw a Great Blue Heron who heard me before I even saw it. It flew from the water to the other side of the wetland where I couldn't see it. The wingspan of the bird was incredible and the black edges on it's wings highly contrasted the white on it's body. I decided to sit on the boat launch hoping it would come back. It didn't, but across the river, I saw an Eastern Kingbird flying from the shrubs, quickly to the water, and then back to the shrubs. Shortly after, a Purple Martin visited. It had an odd strategy of catching flies, it was dipping down, close to the water and coming back up, then turning around, creating a large oval.

I went down the Red Maple trail which had a bit of woods and a lookout to the wetland. I saw a couple more Herons flying together, hovering over the water before landing. Below the lookout were some American Robins hopping around in search of food on the moist ground. I saw one Common Yellowthroat which then got chased down by two Red-winged Blackbirds. They seemed to have a monopoly over the trees and tall shrubs. I went back into the woods where I saw two Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, one male and one female. The female had a stick in her mouth, probably adding onto their nest while the male stood close by. I went deeper in the woods and saw a Grey Catbird, doing short calls atop a dead snag. At the end of my trip, I had the pleasure of seeing a Red-tailed Hawk, near the parking lot, likely using air thermals as it was swirling upwards in a spiral gaining altitude. All-in-all it was a pretty long and tiring trip but so amazing to be able to see so many new species which I hadn't seen before.

Date: 5/7/2021
Start: 2:00
End: 3:45
Location: Niquette Bay State Park, Colchester
Weather: mostly sunny, 61 degrees, NW 7mph wind
Habitat: Dense woods, rocky areas, wet areas, lake at one edge, lots of deciduous trees, some cedars

Once again, some images couldn't be posted on the observation for some reason, those are linked in the comments of the observations.

Date- 4/23/2021
Start time- 2:00
End time- 3:32
Location- Redstone campus and golf course
Weather- 54 degrees F, partly cloudy, 17 mph Western wind
Habitat- fields, patches of trees, buildings, retention pond

Territorial selection was seen at the retention pond and the feeder. At the retention pond we saw a Mallard and two Canada Geese. The Mallard was preening on a rock away from the two Geese. The two species of birds seemed to keep their distance from one another, possibly marking their territory locations. At the feeder, there were several different species which were able to share the food at the feeder and keep their distance from one another. They took turns flying from the feeder back to the cover of bushes. This may be a behavior that is done to ensure that they will not get attacked at the feeder by other aggressive birds or animals. It seems that they use the bushes as a safe spot to keep an eye out for predators or competition. The species we observed doing this are: the Mourning Dove, Northern Cardinal, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, and American Robin. The Mourning Doves that we saw seemed to have already been in a couple for the mating season. I observed that one was performing possible display's like bobbing it's head and lifting its wings to look puffier. This was likely a behavior done by the male to try and get the female to select him as a mate if she hadn't already.

Some possible nesting sites could be assumed as we were in an area where there was limited tree patches. The first place that seemed like a good nesting site was the bushes/hedges by the bird feeder. Another spot would be the patches of woods between the golf course and the athletic fields. The hedges would likely be more beneficial for smaller birds which need to hide from bigger predators, like Black-capped Chickadees. The patches of trees between the fields would be more beneficial for bigger birds like Cooper's Hawk which is a good area for food as they are nearby fields that would expose their prey and they don't really need cover as they don't have many predators.

A single Ruby-crowned Kinglet was singing its beautiful and complex song over by the patches of trees at the edge of the golf course This may have been it's call to find mates or defend it's territory. If this were it's territory, it would be a poor place to defend territory as it was away from any birds which makes it less beneficial to put it's energy toward defending it. This may tell us that it is not as fit as the other birds of its species which defend areas with food that have medium competition and a decent supply of food. Over by this area, we also saw a Great Egret flying over. Thinking about their nesting site, they would likely need some medium sized branches to make a nest big enough for their large body. The fields or patches of woods would not be a greatest place to find these branches, however, if necessary, there would likely be enough to scavenge within the patches of forest. A better place for them to look for bigger branches would be a more dense forest like Centennial Woods.

For the sound map, we stopped at a place where several different environments intersected. It was between the golf course, the house with a feeder, hedges, and patches of woods. We heard Mourning Doves, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Northern Cardinals, Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, Ring-billed Gulls, and American Robins. The link to the map is below:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1j1Hmbv8c4GPASw-gO5IFSlJ5IYkmVEFy

Date: 4/17/2021
Start: 1:35
End: 2:05
Location: Around downtown Burlington (starting at Hungerford Terr, to the north then west then south
Weather: cloudy, scattered showers throughout the day, halfway through walk it got sunny and stayed sunny throughout the rest of the walk
Habitat: residential areas with patches of trees and some front lawn grass patches

Date: April 4, 2020
Start: 9:00
End: 10:30
Location: Aiken Center to the golf course and back
Weather: 34 degrees F, mostly cloudy, 7mph N winds
Habitat: buildings, patches of trees, fields, small wetlands

Some year-round resident species that we observed were Black-capped Chickadees, Northern Cardinals, and Blue Jays. They don't migrate because it is more beneficial for them to remain here. The benefits are that they save energy, they're able to keep their territory, and have more time to care for their young. These birds have many adaptations to survive in the same range year-round. One is that they can change their food preferences for the winter. For instance, the Black-capped Chickadee eats seeds, berries, and plant matter in the winter since the insects or spiders are not available in the winter. When spring comes around and the ground has thawed, their diet starts changing toward eating insects. Another adaptation that Chickadees perform during winter is communal roosting, which is when several birds crowd into cavities overnight so they can share body heat. Lastly, Chickadees tend to flock with their own species as well as with nuthatches, woodpeckers, and more. This creates a better chance of them finding food especially important in the winter when it's scarce.

A facultative migrant that we observed was Cooper's Hawk. They are a short to medium-distance migrant so the birds we saw today were likely from the lower states of New England or maybe down near Virginia. They may go toward Canada as their some of their breeding grounds are up there and there may be better resources for them however, Vermont is also a breeding ground so they may stay here. The environment allows the birds to gage when to leave their wintering area and travel up north. The growth of new plants, availability of food, increasing day length, and temperature increase all affect the timing of migration. For Cooper's Hawk, the migration of small birds that they eat likely triggers their migration. Other facultative migrants we saw were the Canada Goose, Red-winged Blackbird, Song sparrow, and American Robin. Sadly we did not observe any obligate migrants. An advantage of arriving in Burlington in early April as an obligate migrant would be that they get to scout out the best breeding grounds, territorial areas, and nesting sites before several more species make their way up. A disadvantage may be shortage of food due to the sometimes extended cold weather that occurs in Burlington.

Song Sparrows are both a year-round species as well as a medium distance migrant. The map that I examined showed that the closest nonbreeding ground to Burlington is in North Carolina. If the Song Sparrows we saw in Burlington came from North Carolina, they would have traveled about 796 miles in order to get here. However, it is more likely that they came from a year-round location a little closer to Vermont like lower Pennsylvania which would equate to about 500 miles total. Song Sparrows are also known to have a leapfrog migration, meaning the birds farthest North, in Canada and Alaska, fly to Southern United States and northern Mexico to winter while the birds in northern US might migrate but don't go as far as the Canadian and Alaskan birds. The rest of the calculations for the species observed are listed below, they are based off of non-breeding sites, from the "All About Birds" map, that are closest to Burlington. The species listed as zero are year-round residents, however, their mileage may be more than this as some move a bit further south in the winter.

(measurements in miles)
White-breasted Nuthatch: 0
Hairy Woodpecker: 0
American Crow: 0
American Goldfinch: 880
Dark-eyed Junco: 200
Black-capped Chickadee: 0
Blue Jay: 0
House Sparrow: 0
Rock Pigeon: 0
European Starling: 0
Mourning Dove: 2,400
Raven: 0
Ring-billed Gull: 200
American Robin: 1,400
Mallard: 850 miles
Red-winged Blackbird: 800
Canada Goose: 1,200
Song Sparrow: 500

Total: 8,430 miles

Date: 3/20/2021
Start: 9:30
End: 11:00
Location: heading South from the Echo center
Weather: 40 degrees F, 8 mph South winds
Habitat: waterfront, sand bars, patches of trees, buildings, parking lots, bike path, docks

Rock Pigeons were the first observed species at the Echo center circle by the waterfront park. There were two individuals walking around and pecking at the ground for food. When either of them found a good spot, the other would follow. There was not much verbal communication between the two but more physical communication. We walked toward the South side of the Echo center and saw several Mallards and a couple of Common Mergansers. There were two female Mergansers and one male. The male had a brownish-orange colored tuft atop its head while the females had a dark colored head and greyish-white body. Males may have this plumage as an evolutionary advantage to attract female mates, on the other hand, females may have a duller coloration in order to camouflage while caring for the eggs. While the male went along, diving for food, the females seemed to follow, possibly interested in this male and observing his actions.

Further South on the bike path, past the King street docks, there was a sand bar where Mallards and Ring-billed Gulls were stationed. Both species seemed to be thermoregulating and resting for energy to feed or mate later. They were mostly sitting facing the direction the wind was blowing in order to keep their feathers close to their body for warmth. The few that were walking around were some male and female Mallards. One of the females was grooming and fluffing her feathers up when a male started to walk toward her and shake his tail feathers, possibly doing so to attempt to attract her. She was uninterested and continued to preen. The male Mallard has a bright yellow bill, a bright green head, and bright orange legs. The females have a speckled brown plumage with bright orange legs. The male Mallard, just like the male Merganser, likely has this vibrant plumage in order to attract mates, while the female Mallard has dull earthy colors to blend in with their environment for nesting.

Ring-billed Gulls seemed to have almost no difference in plumages between male and female. They did, however, have a lot of verbal communication. One Gull seemed to be territorial as it was raising it's wings and making a call while standing on the sand bar. Another Gull flew around the sandbar and called down to the others, possibly signaling to come with them. Others called back and followed suit as they flew toward the water and searched for food together. In the distance, their calls to each other can still be heard, possibly communicating about where to find food.

Nearing the end of our trip, we tried spishing in a patch of cedars. Some European Starlings, Black-capped Chickadees, and some Ring-billed Gulls were surrounding this area. They all seemed unaffected by the sounds we were making. This may be because there was a water treatment area nearby which created a lot of noise. It may be more beneficial to do the spishing activity in an area with less disturbance. In the last journal, I was able to successfully attract Chickadees and Crows by using this method. These birds may have been interested in the sound because it sounds like an intimidating call to keep predators away and it would be beneficial for them to be near this sound.