Field Journal 3

This week I went on a walk in East Woods Natural Area to look for some birds. I went on Thursday, March 5 around 3:45 in the afternoon. The weather was nicer than usual, it was sunny with some clouds and around a 10 mph breeze. It was 42 degrees Fahrenheit.
The habitat of East Woods is wooded and mostly Northern White Pine. In the understory there were some young birch trees. There was lots of melting snow and ice and some parts of the forest floor were beginning to be exposed after being frozen for months. I also noticed lots of snags and downed trees in this forest that would provide great spots for small mammals and birds to nest in in the winter. The rest of the forest looked pretty bare and it did not seem like there was much food around for the birds.
We started down the path and had to walk very slowly because it was slippery and I didn't want to fall. The beginning of the trail goes along the road for a little bit and I didn't hear any birds around this area. I think that this may be from the loud sounds of the cars and trucks going by on the road. The disturbance might be less desirable to birds that are stressed by loud noises or do not want to be easily spotted by a predator along the edge of the woods. I saw an American Crow that flew overhead but did not land. I could tell it was an American Crow because it also called out with that distinctive creepy call. I also heard the alarm calls of the Black-capped Chickadee. I couldn't see what it was doing and if it was doing anything to stay warm. If I was a bird right now, I would want to find a hollow tree with lots of dried leaves in it that I could roost in all day and I would only want to go out if I needed to find food to eat. I would also try to stay in areas with more dense vegetation that could help to block the wind or trap body heat. Trapping heat with body feathers is a method I observed on the European Starlings. When they fluff up their feathers it can help hold in heat better. To produce body heat I imagine that just flying around would be a good way to stay warm but it would be energetically expensive. I think that because I really didn't see that many birds they are probably just resting and trying to keep warm during the day.

Publicado el 06 de marzo de 2020 a las 03:51 PM por maryrosek