Diario de samuelmcclellan

Time: 11:00-2:00
Date: 4/22/19
Location: Shelburne Farms, Shelburne VT
Weather: Sunny, 60 degrees F
Habitat: Open meadow, forest edges, sparse trees, shrubs, wetland, lake

One of the most obvious mating related behavior I saw today was while I was watching Red-winged Blackbirds interact. There were many Red-winged Blackbirds in the trees adjacent to wetland habitat. They were all males singing and making calls, setting up their territories. While watching them, I noticed birds flying towards other birds that were perched, forcing the perched birds to fly away. This happened repeatedly. This male-male competition is for the best possible mating territory.

At the water, I saw a male and female Bufflehead together. I suspect they had recently paired up or found each other again in preparation for the breeding season. In this case, they had already selected each other as mates, so I did not witness the process of mate selection.

Both the Brown-headed Cowbird and the Eastern Bluebird that I saw were perched high up in trees singing. This behavior is either for setting up territories or singing to females once a territory is already established. I also saw this behavior today in Song Sparrows.

I also saw Ospreys which had built their nest on the man-made platform close to the Shelburne Farms visitor center. In this case, the pair had already paired up as well.

The nesting requirements for the species I saw today vary wildly. The Brown-headed Cowbird is a brood parasite, laying its eggs in the nest of another bird species. Buffleheads nest in tree cavities made by woodpeckers. I noticed many cavities in trees in the woods nearby which would be ideal for the Buffleheads I observed. Red-winged Blackbirds build nests in trees, shrubs, or wetland vegetation low down in or near a wetland habitat. There was a lot of possible nesting habitat in cattails and shrubs in the wetland near the lake.

Mini-activity: During the course of my walk, I heard birds nonstop in all directions. I stopped to listen for an extended period of time in an area by woods and field. I heard at least 5 different species. It was difficult distinguishing all the sings and calls but I recognized American Crow, American Robin, Song Sparrow, and Red-winged Blackbird.

Time: 12:00-4:00
Date: 4/5/19
Location: Lewis Creek, Ferrisburg VT
Weather: Cloudy, 40 degrees F
Habitat: Open meadow, forest edges, sparse trees, shrubs, riparian zone

I combined this bird walk with a fishing expedition to Lewis Creek, and I ended observing many more birds than fish. Th noticed many Black-capped Chickadees, a year-round Vermont resident during my walk. Chickadees, like many other birds that forego migration, save energy by not flying hundreds of miles each year. However, this means that they must be able to utilize the minimal available resources in Vermont during the winter. They are a generalist species, eating a variety of foods, ensuring they will always have something to eat. They will consume, seeds, berries, other plants, insects, suet, and sometimes bits of animal carcasses. They also need to be able to survive the harsh winter conditions present in Vermont during the winter. This means they need feathers that will keep them warm and they remain very active.

As I arrived at the river, I immediately noticed an Eastern Phoebe on the ground hopping around in fallen goldenrod and grasses. As I approached to take a picture, the Phoebe moved into a nearby tree, then across the river. On the far river bank, the Phoebe began foraging on the sandy shore. Eastern Phoebes are short to medium distance migrants, overwintering in the southern US and Mexico. The one I saw will stay in Vermont to breed most likely, being close to the northern extent of its breeding range. A variety of ultimate factors (food type and supply, climate) and proximate factors (habitat, vegetation) and well as the bird's circannual cyle influence migration.

I also saw 3 Great Blue Herons flying overhead and one in the river. These birds are just arriving from their migration. Great Blue Herons are partial migrants, moving to more southern parts of their range to overwinter. Since they eat mainly aquatic animals such as fish and amphibians, they need to be in a place where water is non frozen and their prey is active. Therefore, they can't stay in Vermont for the winter.

Mini activity: Eastern Phoebe: as far as 2,000 miles
Great Blue Heron: as far as 1,000 miles

Date: March 20, 2019
Time: 12:00-3:00
Location: Shelburne Farms (Shelburne VT)
Weather: Sunny, 50 degrees F, light wind
Habitat: Open field, sparse trees, open lake water, dairy barn

On this bird walk on the first day of spring, the birds I observed were behaving accordingly. The first birds I encountered were American Crows. I noticed four of them foraging in a field where the snow had melted. I could not tell what they were eating, but it may have been seeds, or perhaps some sort of insect or worm, however this is less likely because of the time of year. Throughout my walk, I observed many crows also doing this. The crows were also very vocal. During the 3 hour period I was out, it was rare that I didn't hear a crow calling. I suspect the calling was to communicate with other crows, since they are a fairly social species. These vocalizations were possibly related to mating. Males might have been calling to females to get attention, or to other males warning them to keep away. Some of the more vocal crows were sitting up in trees rather than staying on the ground, and these are the ones that might have been calling for mating related purposes.

I then heard a flock of Canada Geese flying above me. They were fairly high up in the sky. They were most likely returning from their migration from more southern areas. Again, it was rare that I experienced a period of time where I heard no geese calling. There were several flocks that flew by as I was on my walk. Geese flying in formation call to keep track of each other as they fly.

Further along my walk I saw a species which I could not identify sitting at the very top of a Norway spruce (EDIT: it was an Eastern Bluebird). The bird was slightly smaller than a robin and had a white underside, brown-red breast, and a grey back and head. The bird was periodically calling. This behavior looked like the bird was a male setting up his breeding territory, which aligns with the time of year. Because he was sitting at the highest point around, he was showing his dominance to other males and was able to see any conspecific that may come by. His vocalizations also seemed like they were to communicate with other males telling them this was his territory.

I then saw an American Robin foraging in a field, and when I approached it flew into a nearby buckthorn to escape my possible predation.

As I walked towards the dairy barn, I heard a lot of bird activity. I entered to see a lot of House Sparrows and Feral Pigeons in the rafters. It appeared both species were preparing to nest or nesting, given the frequent calls and the presence of nests from past years. The pigeons would fly from rafter to rafter to perch next to other pigeons. I saw both male and female pigeons. I also saw both male and female house sparrows.

Leaving the barn, I spotted a Red-tailed Hawk circling on thermals extremely close to me. Because of the time of year, I suspect the behavior may have been a male setting up territory. However, I saw another hawk a little later flying close to the ground surface, which looked a lot more like foraging.

Just outside the dairy barn, I heard a flock of European Starlings up in a white pine. I looked up and saw at least 20 of them perched together at in the uppermost branches. They were being extremely vocal. I suspect this behavior has to do with mating.

As I walked towards the water, I noticed a lot of birds out on the lake. Although most of the water was frozen over, there was one small area that had open water due to a pressure ridge. In the open water were many Common Goldeneye, both males and females. Also present were Canada Geese. As I was watching these birds, I saw three Common Mergansers fly by. All of these birds are most likely returning from migration and seeking out any open water they can land on to prepare for breeding.

Comparing plumage: The male House Finch has a red coloration, that stands out especially well this time of year. His coloration is for mating purposes to get the attention of females. Conversely, the male House Sparrow is more drab. His head has a reddish tinge, but is mainly brown. Although he is not as obvious to females, he is more likely to not be seen by possible predators.

Mini activity: I was unable to get the attention of the House Finches I tried "phishing" to. I might have accidentally walked too close and scared them too much.

Date: February 25, 2019
Time: 11:00 – 3:00
Location: Shelburne Farms
Weather: Overcast, some snow flurries, very windy, 20 degrees F.
Habitat: Open field and closed forest

On my walk at Shelburne Farms, the first species I saw was a flock of Common Redpoll. These birds were foraging on the ground where the snow had melted. In the winter, seed eating birds have a hard time locating food when snow is covering resources. Clearly, these birds knew to look for food in areas where snow was not present. In this case, they were on a walking path that had been cleared of snow. It also seems likely that birds utilize resources from anthropogenic sources in the winter. Whereas birds may have more natural food resources in other times of the year, winter is a time when food from humans / human activity is more commonly used. The Common Redpolls appeared to be foraging for seeds adjacent to a farm field.

As I walked towards the water, I noticed a Bald Eagle soaring in the heavy wind above a farm field by the dairy barn. There was some open lake water close by, in an area where I have commonly seen water birds. There is a possibility the Bald Eagle was foraging for water birds although I didn’t notice any there that day. The Bald Eagle also could have been foraging for fish, although I find it unlikely there would be fish so close to the surface of the lake this time of year. Although there were very strong winds, the Bald Eagle managed to not be too impacted and it stayed relatively still in the air. As I was watching, the bird slowly drifted away from the lake and above the forest, then out of sight behind a small hill. It would make sense that the eagle would go into the forest to get out of the wind.

I saw a single American Crow perched on a dead tree near the lake shore. It was behind the inn and the wind was not as strong there. It seems as though the crow was there to take shelter. A few days earlier, I had seen another common winter behavior of crows, which is their communal roosting. It was in downtown Burlington, on the corner of Pearl Street and North Willard. There were a few hundred crown all together in a few trees. Communal roosting is a good way to stay warm in the winter. It also provides safety against predation.

Later on along my walk, I saw a flock of four Canada Geese flying along the edge of the lakeshore. It was hard to tell where they had been and where they were going. Shelburne Farms seems to be a good place for geese to be in the winter because there are a lot of food resources from the farm fields.

The last bird I saw on my walk was a Pileated Woodpecker. The woodpecker was in the forest, on a snag close to the side of a low-traffic road. It was pecking. This behavior is similar to behavior I have seen on other seasons. It seems as though the Pileated Woodpecker does not change its foraging habits a lot in the winter, but perhaps it is eating other types of insects. The bird also gave a call. This could have been because it noticed me coming. The pecking and the call also could have been to defend its territory from other birds. Unfortunately, a car came by and the bird flew away before I could make more observations.

I noticed many snags throughout my walk. They are utilized by species such as woodpeckers for foraging. Snags provide shelter for many bird species as well. Black-capped chickadees use small cavities for nesting. Nothing came out of any snags when I tapped on them. Many of the snags I saw had holes from Pileated Woodpeckers.

Date: February 20
Time: 10:30-12:00
Location: University Terrace, Burlington
Weather: Sunny, 25 degrees F.
Habitat: Urban trees - Norway maple and Norway spruce

The Black-capped Chickadee has a relatively fast wingbeat. To maintain flight in a straight line without losing elevation, it must continue constant flapping. Conversely, the American Crow has less frequent flaps. The American Crow can stop flapping and soar for a few seconds without losing elevation. The wings of a Black-capped Chickadee are very small. They are designed for tight maneuvering and short distance flying. They have a high aspect ratio. When the flight feathers are fully outstretched, there is an even greater aspect, and are almost elliptical in shape ratio. Since Black-capped Chickadees mainly occupy trees and will need to move from branch to branch, it is important that they can maneuver well in tight spaces. While observing the chickadees I saw today, they hardly took flight. When they did, it was a very short distance to an adjacent tree. They are not long distance flyers, and they do not migrate. The American Crow flies longer distanced than the Black-capped chickadee. In a given day, crows will travel relatively long distances (several miles). This is much further than the distance chickadees travel daily. Crows wing shape borders on elliptical and slotted, high lift. They cannot soar long distanced but are capable of gliding for several seconds without flapping and without losing elevation. Yesterday morning, the crow I saw in flight would alternate several flaps with a short distance of gliding.