East Woods: The Start of Mating Season?

After a few days of rain, the weather finally cleared and I was able to go out to enjoy it. This weekend I headed to East Woods, a small natural area near UVM campus. I set out shortly after 8:00 AM and stayed out until shortly after 10:00 AM, hoping to catch the birds early in the morning. The woods were a combination of old pines and some deciduous trees. I noticed a large amount of snags and downed woody debris in the area. Potash Brook also runs through the woods, providing habitat for some waterfowl and other associated birds.

It's officially spring; the warm weather has persisted and snow has been replaced with rain. This shift means that birds are returning and busy preparing for mating season. During this trip, I noticed a few recent migrants such as the Winter Wren and Eastern Phoebes, and many species were also being quite vocal, such as the usually shy Brown Creepers. Despite being a relatively small area, East Woods actually provides quite a bit of nesting habitat for all of these small songbirds.

The Winter Wren was a particularly exciting sighting; it's a very small bird and can easily hide among branches and downed woody debris. I did a bit of research using the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's website, allaboutbirds.org, to research the nesting habits of different species. I found that Winter Wrens often nest in natural cavities. East Woods offers a few good options for nesting sites, including upturned trees by the water and a variety of fallen trees and standing snags to choose from.

The Brown Creepers are also fond of old trees and large snags; however, they're a bit pickier. Brown Creepers specifically like dead or dying trees with loose bark and will build their nests in between. Both Brown Creepers were spotted near a large dead snag with missing bark which could potentially serve as a nest site. Similar large trees were scattered through the woods, suggesting that they have a large selection of nesting habitat.

Eastern Phoebes weren't spotted easily, but they were frequently heard while walking alongside Potash Brook. The brook offers good potential feeding habitat and was surrounded by many small trees where they could perch. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Eastern Phoebes often make their nests on human structures. East Woods is a relatively small area, so they may be nesting near the edges of the woods. Eastern Phoebes are also known to be rather territorial. Individuals were heard singing at the far ends of the loop where it follows Potash Brook, not close together. This suggests that the birds may be using separate parts of the brook and singing to announce their presence in their territory.

Other sightings from today included Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, and Tufted Titmouse, all of which have been regular appearances on my birding trips. A male Mallard was also spotted on Potash Brook and paused on a small island in the middle. American Crows and gulls were both heard and seen flying over.

As the warm weather sets in, the birds have become quite vocal, likely trying to attract mates or defend their territories. I've started paying careful attention to sound to both identify species and locate them on the landscape. It may be easy to find species like Black-capped Chickadees, but even shy species are making themselves known again. Listening closely has been an excellent tool for locating these other little marvels of the forest.

Publicado el domingo, 21 de abril de 2019 a las 04:38 PM por kayley-j-dillon kayley-j-dillon

Observaciones

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Carbonero de Capucha Negra (Poecile atricapillus)

Fecha

Abril 21, 2019

Descripción

Black-capped Chickadees were frequently heard calling/singing and seen hopping between trees.

Fotos / Sonidos

No hay fotos o sonidos

Qué

Carbonero Copetón (Baeolophus bicolor)

Fecha

Abril 21, 2019

Descripción

Tufted Titmice were heard singing near Potash Brook.

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Bajapalos Pecho Blanco (Sitta carolinensis)

Fecha

Abril 21, 2019

Descripción

White-breasted Nuthatches were heard singing. One was spotted on a large snag.

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Trepadorcito Americano (Certhia americana)

Fecha

Abril 21, 2019

Descripción

Two Brown Creepers were heard singing. One was spotted on the large snag, while the second was spotted on a smaller tree behind it.

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Saltapared Cholino del Este (Troglodytes hiemalis)

Fecha

Abril 21, 2019

Descripción

One Winter Wren was spotted in a pile of woody debris and was seen hopping across the ground.

Fotos / Sonidos

No hay fotos o sonidos

Qué

Cuervo Norteamericano (Corvus brachyrhynchos)

Fecha

Abril 21, 2019

Descripción

American Crows were seen flying over and heard calling.

Fotos / Sonidos

No hay fotos o sonidos

Qué

Gaviotas Grandes (Género Larus)

Fecha

Abril 21, 2019

Descripción

Gulls were heard calling and seen flying over.

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Pato de Collar (Anas platyrhynchos)

Fecha

Abril 21, 2019

Descripción

One male Mallard was seen on Potash Brook.

Fotos / Sonidos

No hay fotos o sonidos

Qué

Papamoscas Fibí (Sayornis phoebe)

Fecha

Abril 21, 2019

Descripción

Eastern Phoebes were heard singing near Potash Brook.

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Reyezuelos (Familia Regulidae)

Fecha

Abril 21, 2019

Descripción

The bird was spotted a short way up the slope near Potash Brook. It was perched in tall, deciduous trees and frequently moving between different branches.

Note: If this turns out to be a member of another species I saw today, I'll likely delete one observation and condense the two.

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Carpintero Albinegro Menor (Dryobates pubescens)

Fecha

Abril 21, 2019

Descripción

One Downy Woodpecker was spotted on fallen woody debris.

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