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 04 de marzo de 2023 a las 04:53 AM por gushay