martes, 09 de mayo de 2023

Field Journal 8

Date: 5/6/2023
Start Time: 9:52 AM
End Time: 11:30 AM
Temperature: 72 F
Weather: Hot, full sun, slight breeze
Habitat: Suburban area, light traffic, heavy foot traffic, lots of med to very tall trees, in immediate area and along rest of street. Leaves growing in on most trees, grass very lush

Publicado el martes, 09 de mayo de 2023 a las 03:13 AM por gushay gushay | 6 observaciones | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

sábado, 29 de abril de 2023

Field Journal 7

4/24/2023
Start: 7:26 AM
End: 9:02 AM
Location: 295 Maple Street Burlington, VT
Temperature: 44°F
Weather: Partly cloudy, bright and sunny, slight breeze. Had been very warm all weekend, mid to high 70s. Ground was dry, grass growing in very lush and green, some mud/ dirt exposed.
Habitat: Suburban area, light traffic, heavy foot traffic, lots of med to very tall trees, in immediate area and along rest of street. Tall trees, still pretty bare but greenery beginning to grow in. Lots of short shrubbery around, mostly grown in.

The past weekend I had been out on my porch most of the day enjoying the warm weather and sunshine and the abundance of birds! All weekend I had been hearing lots of bird activity, especially in the morning so I decided to wake up early and listen for a while before class. As soon as I woke up around 7:15 AM, I heard the distinct calls of a Tufted Titmouse, Northern Cardinals, and American Robins. I have been hearing and seeing American Robins around this tall pine looking tree, which has had green foliage all winter pretty much and looks especially lush. This morning I heard lots of loud Robin chatter and song from this tree. I could not locate a nest with my binoculars but I saw one American Robin fly pretty high into the tree while singing quite loudly. I heard Robin chatter coming from the tree before this and a bit louder as the flying one approached.
A bit later around 7:40AM, I saw 2 Northern Cardinals flying together North to South and up into a super tall, completely bare. I had been hearing the loud trill song of a Northern Cardinal since I woke up and they seemed to be flying in that direction. One was noticeably lighter and more brown, yet still bright red, clearly a female Cardinal, especially considering the proximity and chemistry the two birds shared as they flew by. Closer to 8 AM, I heard an interesting call I hadn't heard before, a few quick repetitive notes of the same pitch and then a quick dip ending with a higher note. I began recording using the Merlin Bird ID app and it identified this song as a Ruby-crowned Kinglet several times over the course of the hour and a half that I was observing. I was quite surprised but it made sense based on the information and calls we had studied in class. One call was much louder and more fine tuned compared to the quieter, messier call that followed shortly after sometimes. They both seemed to be coming from the same direction, West toward Lake Champlain, perhaps in some neighboring trees. As the traffic, both cars and feet, picked up, I started to hear some Black-capped Chickadees, but they sounded like they were moving around a bit, not necessarily staying in one spot. I often see Black-capped Chickadees fleeting around in pairs or groups, hopping from tree to tree. After hearing their calls for a few minutes, I saw 2 tiny birds flying East to West very haphazardly, yet with lots of grace and agility, I figured these were those same Chickadees I had been hearing.
At 8:25AM, I heard what sounded like a House Sparrow chattering away across the street. I am fairly confident there is a nest of House Sparrows and or House Finches across the street in a tall pine tree. After determining I was hearing a House Sparrow and not a Song Sparrow, I used Merlin Bird ID to record and identify the calls and the app identified them as a House Sparrow! For the remaining time I sat outside, for about another 40 minutes, I continued to hear a mixed chorus of all of these birds, overlapping, varying in pitch and volume. At around 8:50PM, I saw a bit of commotion around this tall Pine tree. 2 large Black birds, maybe American Crows? were flying around overhead, and then landed in a branch fairly high up. I heard the House Sparrow chatter get very loud and faster. The black birds hung around a bit moving from branch to branch and flapping their wings, but they eventually left after lots more squawking from the Sparrows. Very loud, trill, and scrambled. Additionally, I heard a Blue Jay briefly, its deep chortle? like call a few times in a span of a few minutes, but did not hear it again afterwards. I also heard lots of European Starlings, coming from all directions it sounded like. At one point earlier on, I saw a single European Starling perched high in the tree where the Cardinals flew to, calling out rather intensely and for a long period of time. It sounded a bit frantic as it looked around, squawking is all directions. I was fairly certain this was a Starling and not a Crow because if its bright yellow beak and its varied calls. I later saw 2 European Starlings flying around a bit, eventually landing in atop the tall pine that the Robins were posted up in. When they arrived, the Robins went quiet for a bit and then began squawking out pretty intensely. The European Starlings did not stick around for very long and flew West, although I think I saw this pair again later on.
I was so pleasantly surprised to hear so much activity this morning. Because I had been seeing and hearing these same birds in the same trees over the past few weeks and days, I can infer that I saw and heard lots of territorial centric behaviors. Birds occupying certain trees would overtake that sound zone in a a way, and get louder when other birds approached. I think because they have been here for a bit and because of the abundance of resources (worms, insects, human trash, compost, dry brush perfect for nesting, etc.) these birds are probably defending prime territory, indicating their physical fitness. It was interesting to hear the different variations in sound and pitch between individuals of the same species, one typically resembling a less mature bird practicing with a parent. At least thats how I interpreted it!

Publicado el sábado, 29 de abril de 2023 a las 06:33 PM por gushay gushay | 8 observaciones | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

martes, 18 de abril de 2023

Field Journal 6

4/15/2023
Start: 5:26 PM
End: 7:08 PM
Location: 295 Maple Street, VT
Temperature: 85°F
Weather: Very hot, sunny day. Full sun for the most part, some clouds, slight breeze. Dry
Habitat: Suburban area, large lawns with patches of trees in between. Tall trees, mainly bare, some pines have foliage. Light traffic, heavier during certain times, lots of foot traffic, dogs

Publicado el martes, 18 de abril de 2023 a las 04:23 AM por gushay gushay | 6 observaciones | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

domingo, 26 de marzo de 2023

Field Journal 5

3/25/2023
Start: 12:15 PM
End: 2:06 PM
Location: Mills Riverside Park Jericho, VT
Temperature: 39°F
Weather: Overcast, windy, light snowfall began around 1:30 PM
Habitat: Open field with patches of dense forest, trails lead up and through heavily wooded hillside. Most trees and brush bare, fallen trees and logs littered throughout. Ground covered in snow, partially melted. River running along and small snow melt streams throughout hillside. High levels of human and dog activity.

This week I traveled to Mills Riverside Park in Jericho, VT. I arrived at 12:15PM and began walking along the trail. The first section of the park featured a wide open field with a large, covered pavilion set further back. Looking back now, I wish I had scoped this structure out to see if any birds had built nests in the ceiling beams, as it would provide great protection from elements, wind, and other predators. I did not hear much bird activity as I walked around this field, I saw some birds fly overhead, but I was unable to capture footage or identify them on the spot. I followed the path through a wooded area and into another section of open field. This section of the park was a designated off-leash area for dogs, and sure enough I saw 3 dogs running around playing fetch here. Despite the high level of activity, this was the only place where I clearly heard and saw birds! At around 12:45PM I heard the distinct "cheeeeeseburger" call of a Black-capped Chickadee! I listened for a few minutes before walking by the trees where the sounds were coming from. Sure enough, I saw 3, small, white, grey, and black birds flying from tree to tree. Despite my presence, the birds continued chatting and I was able to capture a pretty clear audio recording.

After a little while of bird and dog watching, I exited the off-leash area and continued along the path. The trail lead up into a more densely wooded area and continued increasing in elevation. I expected to hear and see a lot more birds in this area, but to my dismay I saw none. I walked up the path for about 45 minutes and saw maybe 6 or 7 more dogs and a few humans, but no birds aside from those flying above the canopy. A few times I thought I heard pecking noises, but it turned out to be noises from the trees swaying and creaking in the wind. At around 1:30PM, it began snowing lightly. I kept following the path and eventually started going downhill. I made it back to beginning area and saw some more dogs and people, but no birds. By this time, the snow had started to come down a bit harder and the wind picked up. I got to my car at 2:06 PM and concluded this bird excursion with only one true sighting! Bummer but I was glad to have recorded some good audio.

I have been seeing Black-capped Chickadees here in Vermont all winter! According to the National Wildlife Federation and research done by biologist Susan Sharbaugh, Black-capped Chickadees have adapted extremely effective behaviors and traits that allow them to survive in the cold winter months. First, Black-capped Chickadees have the ability to go into regulated hypothermia at night, meaning their body temperature drops significantly at night to reserve energy stores. In addition, Black-capped Chickadees have thick, insulated winter coats that help them retain heat and stay at the necessary body temp even in below freezing temperatures. I think the most interesting thing I've read about Black-capped Chickadees is that they have a great memory and will hide food around their territory to retrieve later. How neat is that! Pair these adaptations with a good roosting spot and these birds are set for the winter!

Publicado el domingo, 26 de marzo de 2023 a las 05:24 PM por gushay gushay | 1 observación | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

lunes, 20 de marzo de 2023

Field Journal 4

3/10/2023
Start: 2:43 PM
End: 4:02 PM
Location: Wheeler Nature Park Shelburne, Vermont
Temperature: 34 degrees
Weather: Party cloudy, windy
Habitat: Open field, covered in snow, patches of trees and brush running between road and trail. Farmlands on either side of property. Dog park located nearby, lots of dog activity

For this weeks assignment, I went to the Wheeler Nature Park on Dorset Street. I work further down on Dorset street and had seen this park on the map, as well as the dog park situated at the start of the trail heads, but never explored it. I arrived at 2:40 PM and could hear bird calls and dogs barking right off the bat. I started on the trail and immediately spotted 2 American Crows soaring around some tall trees. A 3rd crow was perched in the trees, calling to the others it seemed. I followed the trail as it veered to the right and away from the trees. I was slightly disappointed as I wanted to get closer to all the bird song I was hearing! But as I continued to walk into the open field I started to hear some other birds in the distance, seemingly coming from the right of the open field, where there was another chunk of forest.
I continued along the trail for a bit longer and decided to turn left and cut through the field a bit to get to the corridor of trees I had seen the crows in before. Around 3pm I made it to the path along the trees, and was so surprised to see so much activity! I heard lots of mixed bird song and calls, mainly that of the American Robin. The right of the path was lined by a wall of dense brush and trees. There was little foliage left on the live trees and dead trees and fallen logs littered the ground. As I walked, I counted 5 American Robins in the trees, hopping from branch to branch, chirping, and 4 American Robins foraging on the ground where the snow had melted. I was able to get a good look using my binoculars and noticed that their chests were much more yellow than I thought they would be! Compared to the coppery-brown feathers I’m used to seeing, their plumage was definitely more yellow-orange than red-orange, perhaps these robins were immature males or females. I continued along the path and as I moved further down, I counted 14 American Robins all on the ground foraging! As I moved closer they flew away/ moved down, but didn’t seem too disturbed by my presence.
Around 3:30 PM, I noticed a smaller bird with much quicker dips in flight fly across the path. Shortly after, I began hearing different bird chatter than that of the Robins. I observed the brush that the little bird flew to and saw 3 Black-capped Chickadees perched together. As I approached, their chatter got much louder and they began flying around more actively. Definitely Black-capped Chickadees! Around 3:45PM I headed back as I had to go to work. I followed the path beside the trees the entire way back and I continued to see Robins in the brush, and lots of squirrels too! At one point, I began to hear pecking on a tree above me, and sure enough in a taller tree I saw a black and white striped bird. As it hopped around the diameter of the main tree trunk, I saw a splotch of bright red by the bird's eyebrow. I identified this bird as a Hairy Woodpecker, its eye catching plumage and its mainly its Robin-like size led me to this. As I approached the beginning of the trail, I saw 2 crows in the sky, I wondered if they were the same ones I had seen before! I was so pleasantly surprised by the level of bird activity I had observed here! And dog activity as well! I noticed as I returned to the trailhead that I was walking along the Goldenrod trail. I definitely plan on returning to this location and hopefully as the weather gets warmer I can see some Goldenrods!

Publicado el lunes, 20 de marzo de 2023 a las 02:01 AM por gushay gushay | 4 observaciones | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

sábado, 04 de marzo de 2023

Field Journal 3

Date: 3/23/23
Start time: 3:04 PM
End time: 4:17 PM
Location: Woodside Natural Area, South Burlington, VT
Temperature: ranged from 31° F to 29° F
Weather:
Clear, bright day, partial cloud coverage but strong sunshine! No precipitation and very little/mild wind. Ground almost entirely covered in snow (not fresh)
Habitat:
-Dense wooded area, bare white and red oak trees, small red berries growing all over! Dense bare brush, varying heights. Ground covered with snow, and berries! Winooski River nearby, small stream of running water underneath snowcover further down trail

Today I went to the Woodside Natural Area in Essex and had such a pleasant experience!! We arrived at the trail head around 3pm and as soon as we got out of the car, I could hear so many birds!! Another bird-watcher told us to look out for the Bohemian Waxwing "eating berries and making funny calls" as she was leaving. She was very sweet, put very good energy into the air! There were 4 other people down the straight path that starts the trail, 3 of which were accompanied by a dog. As we walked down the path, I was stunned at how many birds there were! Upon further consideration I think there were only about 12 Black-capped Chickadees but they were continuously flying around from tree to tree being very active and vocal! The dense, wooded forest that surrounds the path arches slightly above you as you walk down, creating a perfect atmosphere to observe the friendly birds that inhabit them! I got so many great pictures and lots of videos! As we walked further down the path , another birdwatcher with a huge camera offered us some bird seed to feed the birds and get some good pictures! These birds were very cautious, but they would eat right out of your palm! A few would sit in the branches above and around and scope you out for a bit, chirping to eachother before and after taking short trips down to observe you a bit closer. I got a good look at their bright white wings, with pronounced, very scalloped primary feathers! They are very swift birds, yet seeing them fly up close and looking back at videos, you can see how the rest of their body and legs kind of jolt around as their powerful wings steer and stop them abruptly, yet very precisely! Very neat experience I would definitely recommend this location for the opportunity to see flight patterns so closely!
We continued to walk down the trail and stopped to listen to what sounded like crows for a bit. I saw 2 large, what looked and sounded to be murders of crows flying in the distance. At this point we were standing overlooking the Winooski River from the Northwest shore, and both of the flocks of birds were flying Southward. We stayed for a bit and practiced some bird calls, but did not receive many replies. We continued walking down the trail and crossed a bridge over a small stream. The fauna resembled that which we had seen at the start, although this area was not as dense. At around 3:45 we made our way back and spent some more time on the first section of the trail, infatuated by these friendly Chickadees yet again!! At one point, we heard a flock of birds flying overhead. We identified these birds as Bohemian Waxwings, based on their repetitive, wharbly?, and shrill calls. I was excited to observe these birds, despite not seeing them eating the red berries!! Further down the trail, we observed another photographer place a handful of seeds on a stump to get some good photos. When he was done we observed this area for a bit and saw a lot of activity! There were a bunch of Black-capped Chickadees, possibly the same group from before. Hiding in the trees further back, we spotted what looked like a Downy Woodpecker. His red eyebrow/ head patch alerted our eyes and I could then see his black and white , checkered, wings. Through my binoculars I couldn't see his beak very clearly, but based on its small size I identified it as a Downy vs a Hairy Woodpecker. What a great surprise! Slightly further down the path, sitting on a fallen tree, I spotted a Dark-eyed Junco!! I was able to snap a picture but it took off shortly after. Like the Chickadees, this Junco flew very fast, powered only by a few, powerful flaps!

The ground was fully covered with snow during this trip, and little foliage remained on the trees. However, I did notice a handful of nests throughout the bare forest, mainly made of twigs and small piney looking branches. I noticed many dead trees and fallen branches scattered all over the ground, but did not venture to observe them very closely, as I was already seeing so much activity! I did notice that right on top of many fallen logs and exposed stumps, clumps of small twigs and the piney branches looked intentionally nestled. I imagine birds and other critters have been using these nests to stay warm and off of the cold snow! This birding excursion was quite successful and I'm excited to return to this location and explore more! I wonder what this area is like in the morning and in the Spring when the fauna starts growing back in!

Publicado el sábado, 04 de marzo de 2023 a las 04:53 AM por gushay gushay | 6 observaciones | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

miércoles, 22 de febrero de 2023

Field Journal 2

Date: 2/20/23
Start time: 4:42 PM
End time: 6:51 PM
Location: Island Line Trail & Oakledge Park
Temperature: ranged from 42° F to 31° F
Weather:
Clear, partial sun, slight breeze --> partly cloudy/ overcast, wind picked up by the shore and temp. dropped. Brief bout of participation, slight drizzle/ snow for a few moments.
Habitat:
-Urban area, high-traffic area, both pedestrians and vehicles. Ground was pretty muddy, park and lawns wet from melted snow, very little foliage left on trees, aside from pine species. Unkempt trash receptacles and litter on sidewalks/street pretty common
-Rocky shoreline, clusters of tall, bare trees surrounding trail, dry/bare brush of varying heights, line trail on either side, some green foliage remaining, scattered throughout. Railroad running parallel to trail (large source of noise), Burlington Main Wastewater Treatment (large tanks and buildings provide opportunity for nesting/ perching)

I set out around 4:30PM to walk down to the waterfront at the end of Maple Street. I walked the path to the Burlington Surf Club nearly everyday with my dog this summer and recall seeing and hearing many birds, especially gulls! I know seagulls stay by the beach year round in NJ but obviously the Jersey Shore doesn't reach -20°F in the winter, so I was excited to see which birds withstood the recent temperature drops in Burlington. As soon as I left my house I heard bird song and chatter! I couldn't make out which birds they were, all the high-pitched whistles and chirps seemed to blend together. As I approached St. Paul Street I heard some birds chatting and looked up to see 9 small, black birds perching on some telephone wires running along Maple Street (East to West). Based on their short, sporadic, and slightly warbled whistles and chatter, I identified these birds as European Starlings. I took a photo but my phone camera quality is quite underwhelming. I definitely plan to rent out a camera from the Media center for my next birding excursion! I listened to the little chorus for a few minutes while I waited for a friend and noticed they were reactive to the traffic at the intersection and would stop and start their calls only when there was little noise from the road. It began to rain lightly for a few moments and the flock of Starlings dispersed. I took some time to doodle and look up European Starlings and their wing shape as flight was the topic of this journal. Starlings wings look fairly triangular when they are in flight, as if their wings would form a right angle at their shoulder/ coracoid, yet when they are splayed out there are two distinct lobes on the bottom edge where the primary and secondary feathers meet and a pronounced wrist/ ulula. I didn't notice anything particular about their flight or flapping, aside from the fact that they all took off within seconds of each other and flew fairly close to one another.
As we walked down the rest of Maple Street and began walking along the bike path I heard short, sporadic bird song, but nothing I could identify. The path was fairly busy, as it was a beautiful, temperate day, and a holiday too! Most of the greenery I was used to seeing over the summer and fall was gone now and most of the plants and brush around were bare. Some shrubbery remained but nothing seemed to be flourishing. It was significantly colder by the water and much windier. I believe the weather app on my phone reported 10 mph winds for the city of Burlington at that time. I observed a few ducks in the water close to the shore and managed to see a slight green sheen on the head of one of the ducks. The rest of the ducks seemed to be more neutral brown toned, which leads me to believe these were mallards, a male and some females. I managed to snap a picture, however the photo does not capture the green head I was able to see with my binoculars.
We kept walking along the bike path for another 30 minutes or so and didn't hear much activity. As the sun began to sink down and larger, darker clouds began to roll in, the wind picked up a bit and I noticed how loud the shore was! I had never really noticed it until I was trying to listen for quiet birds! We walked through a small residential area and sure enough we saw 3 large black birds congregated around something in someones lawn!! As we approached they flew away and let out a call once they had gained some distance, definitely crows! We made it to Oakledge park as the sun was setting and sat atop a large stone. We were surrounded by bare trees and dense brush. Overhead I saw a murder of what i believed to be crows headed North. There were 7 or 8 flying together in a jumbled, unsynchronized pack. Their flaps seemed very intentional and harsh compared to the European Starlings, probably because of their large, slotted, high lift wings! We sat around for another 40 minutes but as the sky grew darker my hopes of seeing any other birds dwindled. In this spot, I noticed how loud the waves sounded as they crashed on the rocks below. I want to try going somewhere a bit quieter next time, I think I would have more luck being able to distinguish sounds better in a quieter environment! We left at 6:38 PM. As we were descending down from the ledge and back onto the path, we traversed through some moderately dense brush. I heard a very quiet chat between what sounded like 2 or 3 European Starlings. High pitched rambles and short whistles played over each other for a few moments and as we continued walking I didn't hear any more of their discussion. We decided to walk back through residential and commercial areas because by this time it was starting to get pretty dark. As we passed another set of water tanks? and an industrial lot, I heard my favorite call of all!!! From the little patch of densely packed trees, all bare, I heard a quiet, but long, "cheeeeeeeeseburger"! A Black-capped Chickadee!! I was so excited and even more thrilled when I heard a short, sweet "cheeseburger" in reply! I heard these Chickadees around 6:50PM , and those were the last birds I observed on this trip.
Although I didn't get to see many birds, I was surprised at how many I did notice when I intentionally listened for them! I'm glad I got to use my binoculars, although I am so shaky its quite comical trying to focus and get a good view of whatever I'm trying to see. But, I'm looking forward to practicing and using them more! As mentioned previously, I want to try a quieter location for my next outing, and I will definitely make an effort to go earlier in the day to make sure I get maximum bird activity!

Publicado el miércoles, 22 de febrero de 2023 a las 05:55 AM por gushay gushay | 5 observaciones | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

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