Diario de avilensky

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: 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: 5/25/2021
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: 5/26/2021
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: 5/27/2021
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: 5/28/2021
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.