Field Journal #2

Date - February 21st 2021
Start time - 9:10 am
End time - 10:45 am
Location - Burlington, VT - UVM Redstone Campus, S Prospect St, College St, Hungerford Terrace
Weather (temperature, wind speed/direction, precipitation) - 21 degrees F, sunny, minimal cloud cover, no precipitation, NW wind ~7mph
Habitat(s) - Suburban, mild to moderate vegetation density, both young and mature trees and shrubbery

While walking around campus and my neighborhood on Sunday I was able to identify a number of different birds. It was still relatively quiet since I went in the morning and weather conditions were mild so many birds seemed to be out and about. There was a Common Raven sitting upon the UVM water tower calling out, a few Rock Pigeons sitting on rooftops soaking up the sun, and a number of Herring Gulls, young and mature, soaring together in a thermal above Redstone campus. I was also lucky enough to witness a few female Red Crossbills gathering in a Conifer on S Prospect st and a number of male and female Common Redpolls enjoying someone's bird feeder. There was also a Cooper's Hawk sitting in the large tree in our driveway!

I got to witness a few species more up close and personal and my own bird feeder. Black-capped Chickadees are a regular at our house. They make very sudden and acrobatic movements. Their wings are slightly pointed as well as their long tail, making them more agile and aerodynamic. They will quickly grab a seed and fly somewhere close by to eat it before coming back for more. They have very rapid wing beats when moving only short distances from one perch to another. When flying longer distances they seem to tuck their wings to their sides after doing an occasional shallow wing beat. When they fly it is in a very bouncy, up and down pattern, usually solo.

American robins on the other hand are seen in larger groups, especially in winter. I saw a large group of them on Redstone campus eating berries off a Crab Apple tree between buildings. Their flight patterns are stronger and more direct. American Robin wings are more rounded with a more fanned out tail, which make them slightly less agile and fast than the Black-capped Chickadee. They make swift bounds across areas as if they are flying with a purpose. They don't have any bounce like the Black-capped Chickadee. They always seem very aware of their surroundings when darting from one spot to another.

Publicado el 23 de febrero de 2021 a las 01:51 AM por