29 de abril de 2020

Feild Journal 8

I started my walk at 5:15 on April 28th and ended my walk at 6:45. It was 64 degrees F and sunny. My walk was in Warren NJ, a suburb.

I saw a House Finch (1), Northern Cardinal(1), White-throated Sparrow(1), Song Sparrow(1), American Robin (2), Eastern Bluebird(2), Red-tailed Hawk (2), and Chipping Sparrow(1).

Publicado el abril 29, 2020 05:08 MAÑANA por carterl carterl | 16 observaciones | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

22 de abril de 2020

Reproductive Ecology and Evolution

I started my walk at 8:35 A.M. in Warren NJ on April 21st ending my walk at 10:10 A.M. It was partly cloudy and 55 degrees F in a suburban neighborhood. Many birds were calling often especially that it was earlier in the morning and getting close to/ already breeding season. These calls/songs(mostly) particularly now can be related to territory defense, mate defense and mate attraction. Over the past three bird walks and just passing the same spots over the weeks it seems that there are a few birds that can regularly be found in the same area. Consistently in the same spot I have noticed one Eastern Bluebird flying over the same yard and sitting on the same power line that crosses over that lawn. This could very likely be the males territory that he is defending and by sitting on the power line over the more open part of the lawn he is better able to see and defend his territory. I am not sure whether or not it is a "quality" territory but it seems during this breeding season that this male is keen to protect it. Although I am not sure about the quality or exact size I can guess that it would be a relatively large area that the Eastern Bluebird can defend it easier which would attribute it to being a higher quality territory with more food. If the territory is also easily defendable this could be good for a potential nest the male can defend the nest from a distance which would decrease the risk of predation at the nest. Overall these attribute to a good quality territory and if it is in fact a quality territory this would mean that the bird is in good physical shape/condition to be able to keep this territory. Having a good territory would also help to attract a mate and increase the chance of his genetics being passed on.
A really common sight this time of year near me is to see a pairs of birds together, especially the House Finch. Often visiting the feeder you will see one male come up to the feeder and then immediately after the female shows up at the feeder. They fly away together and stay close. On today's walk one male and one female were sitting across the street and came over to a thorny bush together. The female flew back over the street and the male flew to the top of the bush. This could have been where they planned to nest or were already nesting as it would have provided good protection from bigger birds or animals. The bush was thick covered and had some thorns on some of the sticks which would help add some extra protection. Although this bush was near the open street and across from a large open lawn behind the bus and to the side of it there were big pine trees that provides some extra cover and could be a good place for the birds to fly into first before flying back to the nest which would help to lower the risk of predation. The female flew away and the male flowed right behind. This cold be an example of an over protective male that want to make sure that she doesn't go off and try to mat with other males for extra-pair bonds. During the breading season the pairs of birds stay close together and sometimes the females are followed by over protective males to prevent their mates from copulating with other males.
On a different day outside my friends house on the reef of a door was a robins nest with large clutch size of 6 blue eggs in a small open cup nest. Although the family rarely uses that door it still might not be the best spot to nest because it would be obvious of were the female is flying to. If prey was to be sitting on a tree at the edge of the lawn they would easily see the robin fly into her nest whereas in the dense forest the robin would not be as visible and could fly closer to the nest on one tree then more subtlety move into the nest in a short flight. Also by having such a large clutch size the mother would have to frequent the nest even further risking the chance of predation.
Mini activity: For the sound map I was able to hear birds from all around. It was a lot of different types of birds but the same individual birds calling repeatedly. There were a few birds that would call then another bird of the same species would call after. If these were songs it was most likely males completing for territory and/or females. One example of this that I heard was at least 2 different White-throated Sparrows singing in the distance. They have been often singing in this spot for the past 3 week and they are still here which may be usually since in central New Jersey they are really only supposed to be here for the non-breeding season and are supposed to move up to southern New York or only the very top of New Jersey (or even further north) for the breeding season. This may be a special localized case where White-throated Sparrows are staying further south year round because of climate change or maybe because they are able to be sustained in the are due to abundant resources that can support them during their nesting time. It is also a possibility that these locations change slightly over time and that books with range maps are not able to completely draw where each bird is but instead do a rough estimate of where they usually are during certain times.

(The picture of the area where i sat down are provided in the entry with the diagram of the sound map.)

Overall I saw Hermit Thrush(1), Eastern Bluebird(2), House Finch(3), Black-capped Chickadee(1), White-breasted Nuthatch(1), Turkey Vulture (1), Hawks(2)(maybe one Red-shouldered Hawk and one Sharp-shinned Hawk).

Publicado el abril 22, 2020 04:43 MAÑANA por carterl carterl | 28 observaciones | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

17 de abril de 2020

Journal 6

I started my walk at 5:00 P.M. on March 16th, and went for 90 minutes until 6:30. I walked in a suburban neighborhood in Warren, NJ and it was partly cloudy and 40 degrees F outside. Before I walked outside I saw one chipping sparrow on the feeder and then one House Finch. Then I saw 2 robins on the ground followed by one more on the ground in another spot. Later I saw about 10 House Finches flying around up in the trees moving from one tree to the next the was also one on the ground. I Watched a downy woodpecker fly from one tree to another an Eastern Bluebird further in the woods and later in the walk I heard a White- breasted Nuthatch make 2 different calls.
In total I saw Chipping sparrow (1), House Finch (15), Northern Cardinal (2), American Robin (7), Downy Woodpecker (1), Eastern Bluebird (1), Tufted Titmouse (2), Turkey Vulture (1), American crow (3), House Wren (3), White-throated Sparrow (6), and Red-bellied Woodpecker (1).

Publicado el abril 17, 2020 01:24 MAÑANA por carterl carterl | 23 observaciones | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

09 de abril de 2020

Migration

I started my walk at 5:20 P.M. in a suburban/rural neighborhood in Warren, NJ ending my bird watching 100 minutes later at 7:00 P.M. There were many birds out but not a lot of visible birds feeding at this time of day. There were also way more birds being vocal than there were visible birds and because it is getting really close to breeding season males are singing and calling to attract females, defend an area, or to warn other males. When I was on my walk I saw many birds that are year round residents to central New Jersey. The Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Black Vulture, White-breasted Nuthatch, House Finch, Northern Cardinal, Brown-headed Cowbird, American Robin, Eastern Bluebird, Hairy Woodpecker, Mallard, and the Red-winged Blackbird have all adapted to be able to survive the winter in the New Jersey climate. One adaptation to not having to migrate over the winter is having a more generalist diet for example, an American Robin will feed on worms during the warmer months but over the winter will switch to fruit that is available to eat off of trees. Another example of this is the Black-capped Chickadee who will feed on insects and caterpillars when available but when it gets colder they will switch to an available food source such as seeds and berries. Many of these birds that don't migrate, have a varied diet that usually consists of insects in the summer but when weather starts to get colder they are able to consume more seed or berries that are still available in the winter. Another problem some species may face is the drop in temperature. These year- round residents have a way to deal with this. Some birds puff up their feathers to conserve warmth trap heat closer to their body, they can lower their body temperatures at night to save energy, and some species break personal space to huddle together for warmth.
Overcoming these challenges can sometimes be difficult and some cold winters with lower amounts of food can be deadly to birds, which is why some birds choose to migrate. The chipping sparrow is an example of one of the early migrant arrives n New Jersey. The Chipping sparrow is a migrant bird of New Jersey that will come during the breeding season and when not breeding they will fly as far south as Florida for the winter. The Chipping Sparrows that arrive early are able to take advantage of the first budding food resources and are able to take advantage of finding good nesting areas to breed with mates. A White-throated Sparrow is migrant bird that winters in New Jersey and will migrate as north to Burlington and as far north as Upper Canada. A reason that there are still some White-throated sparrows left in New Jersey is to take advantage of the available resources that are blooming here that might not yet be available in Burlington. Another risk of leaving to early would be running into a late winter storm or even a late cold temperature drop that could end up killing them.
Mini Activity: Chipping Sparrow: Warren NJ to Burlington VT (312 miles) x (4 birds) = 1248 miles
White-throated Sparrow: NJ to FL (1120 miles) x (3 birds) = 3360 miles
1248+3360= 4608 miles
Overall on this trip I saw black-capped chickadee(3), tufted titmouse(3), house finch(1), northern cardinal(1), brown-headed cowbird(1), american robin(8), eastern bluebird(1), hairy woodpecker(1), mallard(2), black vulture(4), chipping sparrow(4), white-throated sparrow(3). In addition I heard a white-breasted Nuthatch, and a red-winged blackbird.

Publicado el abril 9, 2020 03:37 MAÑANA por carterl carterl | 27 observaciones | 2 comentarios | Deja un comentario

23 de marzo de 2020

Journal 3 Phenology

My bird walk in Warren NJ, (suburban neighborhood) started at 12:30 in the afternoon on March 22, and it was 55 degrees F and very sunny. When I walked outside there were about 20 American Robins eating on my open lawn and neighbor's open grass lawn. Because it was later in the day and sunny and warm these birds were very active in feeding which has to do with their circadian rhythm. Another thing that is specific to this time of year and synced with their circannual rhythm is what they are feeding on. Because it is warmer out now in the spring and the ground has thawed out the Robins are able to eat worms from the ground - a food source that wasn't available in the winter.
As breeding season gets closer all the birds are much more vocal, in defending territory, warning calls, attracting mates, and defending mates. On the walk I could hear many birds and also saw birds in pairs. I saw a couple of pairs of robins and one pair of blue jays. Comparing the plumage of Blue Jays and Robins both are similar in the fact that they are near identical in the different sexes. Male Blue Jays are slightly bigger and male Robins are a little more darker but overall i is hard to tell the two sexes apart in both species, especially if they are not standing right next to one another. Robins have more of a darker earth tone to their plumage which is helpful for them when they are feeding on the open ground for worms. Blue Jays are a little bigger and feed primarily on seeds and are often higher up in trees that provide good cover which allows them to have a brighter, blue plumage that would otherwise give them away. Robins and blue Jays plumage are affected by their behaviors that revolve around their diet.
The mini activity of "Spishing" near trees in the side of the road attracted some house finches to come a little closer in the trees above for a little bit and then fly away. Spishing attracts birds sometimes because smaller birds will often flock together to chase away a predator. The reason the may leave after or before might be to scatter. If they scatter in different directions then it is harder for a predator to follow them each individually. I think this activity mostly works on smaller birds or some passerines because they are smaller and need support to chase of a predator bigger than them.
On the trip I saw 30 American Robins, 5 Blue Jays, 4 House Wrens, 3 Dark-eyed Juncos, 1 Mourning Dove, 1 White-breasted Nuthatch, and 2 House Finches. I also heard many other birds (some I could not identify by sound) that I could not see because they were hidden in the trees.

Publicado el marzo 23, 2020 12:14 MAÑANA por carterl carterl | 14 observaciones | 1 comentario | Deja un comentario

01 de marzo de 2020

Journal 2 Ecological Physiology

My walk started at 10 AM on March 1st and walked through Burlington neighborhoods, first starting outside of Waterman in the open green. It was 19 degrees F and mostly overcast in the beginning. At first looking up into a fruit tree next to the sidewalk there where 3 American Robins resting in the tree just waking up for the day. They were puffed up a little to conserve heat. Over the course of 10 minutes while standing and observing them they started to be more active and slowly moved to different areas of the tree to feed (feeding on fruit because the ground was covered in snow and worms aren't an available food source). They also started to become more vocal and made more chipping sounds communicating to each other, as they started to warm up. Once they were more awake after being more active they flew off and out of the tree. This behavior could be common in winter as the puffed up feathers conserves heat and if their bodies are colder from the night they could take a little bit of time to wake up, warm up their body temperature and become more active.
When walking away from the fruit tree there were about 5 crows and one raven being very active and vocal, flying over the Waterman green. These birds may have differing behaviors because they are bigger birds. Smaller birds, like the American Robin, have a larger surface area to mass and as a result they loss body heat faster. The crows are able to be more active earlier in the morning of cold winter days because of their ability to retain heat better.
In a different area by a school their was a fence lined with thick coverings of vines and a flock of House Sparrows were hanging out there. The sun had started to come out and was shining on the fence. The fence was also near a building that provided shielding from the wind. The sparrows were active in the warmth and also very social because they found a good spot where they didn't have to prioritize body temperature maintenance. For it still being pretty early in the morning this was a perfect spot for the flock of house sparrows that provided a little extra warmth as well as a long area for moment and thick coverage for protection. Later on the walk there was a male and a female Cardinal sitting in a tree and they were being very vocal. At this time of year they were most likely a pair but are not breeding or nest building yet. And across the street in a small tree shielded on either side by a house and a fence was a male House Sparrow actively singing and calling. This man may have thought that he found a good place and was using his time and energy to defend the territory and to possibly attract a mate. Finally towards the end of our walk back to campus there was a bird feeder with chickadees and American Goldfinches feeding on the seeds. As food can be a hard resource to come by in winter months this provided a source of food for the birds and they were able to spend their time efficiently feeding and not expending too much energy to forage and find different food sources.
Wandering into a small forest section behind a playground that merged into backyards there were plenty of snags but after walking around no birds were found. Overall the birds in the cold, especially at night and in the early morning like to find sheltered and sunny places to stay to stay warm. Birds will also puff up their feathers to trap more body heat and for smaller birds this could be extra beneficiary in cold temperatures.
The bird total (in sightings) for the trip was:
American Robin(3), House Sparrows(25-35), Crows(15), Raven(1), American Goldfinch(1), Chickadees(10), Cardinals(3), Ringed-billed Gull(1)

Publicado el marzo 1, 2020 10:30 TARDE por carterl carterl | 14 observaciones | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

18 de febrero de 2020

journal 1 Flight comparison

As seen on the first observation a chickadee has more of an elliptical wing and has a powerful down stroke to gain elevation and does that a few times and then will glide while loosing elevation. When walking on another field observation I saw a herring or ring-billed gull flying overhead. This sea bird has a high Aspect ratio wing and is great for gliding. The gull would flap a few times generating enough power to glide for a while. These 2 different birds have different wings that are useful to its habitat and behaviors. Since a chickadee will only move short distances it doesn't need a wing for gliding but also has a wing that will produce enough power quickly if needed to escape a dangerous situation since they sometimes feed on the ground or feeders where they run the risk of predator. For a seagull traveling long distances over the shore or ocean a High aspect ration wing provides the lift necessary to glide and saves energy by reducing the number of wing strokes.

Publicado el febrero 18, 2020 07:41 TARDE por carterl carterl | 1 comentario | Deja un comentario

02 de febrero de 2020

Field Journal 1 (UVM Ornithology)

I started my birding at 10:30 in the morning on February 2nd. It was 30 degrees F and mostly sunny. There was almost no wind and for about a half an hour it was snowing very lightly with full sun and some scattered clouds. When I had initially walked out of my door in West Dover, Vermont I heard a Black- capped Chickadee in the woods in the distance. I followed the sound but it would stop when I got too close because of the crunching of the snow. So I would stop moving for a bit and listen to find which direction i could walk in. At first I tried to record the sound it made but it was still top far for the phone to pick up. I waled almost directly under them, as they were high up in a pine tree, then they completely stopped making their calls. I sat on a tree stump covered in snow for almost 10 minutes till the they had started their calls again and then I finally got a good audio recording. I could see them fly from one tree top to the next but there were too many branches and the birds hid too fast for me to get a picture. I kept walking in a wooded path to a swampy area and the whole time I was walking there I would stop occasionally and listen only to hear complete silence. When I had got to the the swamp I could see some chickadees in edged of the forest by the swamp moving from one tree top to the next usually followed by some more. The chickadees would appear as if they stepped of the branch of the tree and dip down and back up landing on a branch of equal height. If they went to a further branch they would do the same repeated dip in the flight and manage to fly themselves back up until they reached their landing sight. If their flight patterns were traced it would look like wide- stretched "U's" when moving to locations of similar heights over a distance. After staying at this frozen over swamp for a half an hour I walked up to an open golf course where I sat on a patch of exposed grass to watch for any birds. This golf course was completely empty. Not only did I not see any birds flying at high altitudes in the distance or in the tree tops I also heard nothing - complete silence besides the one or two planes that flew by in the far distance. Finally on the walk back on the quiet road by where I live I hit the black- capped chickadee jackpot. At first I heard many of them calling back and forth and I quietly walked closer to see that there were about or 6 of them scattered all over the tree branches and snowy floor of the wooded area. When moving to the ground from a high or low branch the chickadees would almost dive and then glide back up then back down as many times as needed till they reached the ground. I used my monocular phone attachment to get a picture of some of them and then I had turned around to see the real reason there were so many birds there. There was a hidden bird feeder filled with seeds in the front yard in the house across the street. The birds would fly across the street in a similar way but it was almost more direct ant the "U's" of their flight had less dip to it and more flapping. They would fly to a close tree then when the coast was clear take a direct graceful flight to the bird feeder. While I was standing the I saw a 2 unidentified Brownish looking birds with some white on the tail feathers fly over head across the street. Overall on my field observation I saw some bird tracks on the ground, heard at least one northern cardinal, heard an american crow in the distance, saw/ heard at least 10 black-capped chickadees and 2 unidentified light brown birds one after another fly a few feet over the tree tops to another tree in the distance.

Publicado el febrero 2, 2020 07:21 TARDE por carterl carterl | 3 observaciones | 2 comentarios | Deja un comentario

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