Field Observation 2: Physiology

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.

Publicado el marzo 6, 2019 12:45 TARDE por samuelmcclellan