Meghan Murphy- Field Observation Journal 1

Arrived at Rock Point around 9:30am on 2/16/19.

Was at a forest edge next to a trail. The sun was out and there was not much wind.
Heard a Northern Cardinal at 9:44am.
Heard a Tufted Titmouse at 9:51am.
Saw a White-breasted Nuthatch at 9:56am, and another one at 10:01am.
Saw a group of six Black-capped Chickadees at 10:05am.

Moved to a denser area of forest on a cliff edge overlooking Lake Champlain. The sun was still out, but wind had picked up considerably.
Heard and saw an American Crow at 10:32am.
Heard the call of a Sharp-shinned Hawk at around 11:45am.
Heard and saw another American Crow at 12:32pm.

Moved to an open field surrounded by woods. The wind was consistent but weak, and the sun remained out.
Saw two American Crows at 1:43pm.

Went back to forest edge near trail. The sun felt stronger and the wind was still consistent.
Saw a Tufted Titmouse at 1:55pm.
Saw a Black-capped Chickadee at 1:55pm.

Ended birding excursion around 2:15pm.

I performed my birding excursion at Rock Point, an area where I have been birding several times before. My first location was near the beginning of the trail, close to the opening that leads down to Fred’s Beach. This area was a forest edge with many dense bushes interspersed with the trees at the edge of the trail. I paused here and was able to hear both Northern Cardinals and Tufted Titmice. I used binoculars to observe White-breasted Nuthatches hopping along the branches of two separate trees before fluttering deeper into the forest. I watched a flock of Black-capped Chickadees flutter from the forest, cross the trail ahead of me, and perch in a dense bush. I spent about a half hour here before moving on to the next site.

My next stop was along the cliff edge overlooking Lake Champlain, with dense forests extending along the thin trail. As I moved through the site, I heard the call of an American Crow and moved through the woods to get a visual on the bird. I was able to see the bird flying overhead without the aid of binoculars until it disappeared into the tree line. After making my way down a steep hill I heard the call of what sounded like a hawk, but despite my scrambling back up the hill and careful scanning with binoculars I could not get a visual on the bird. It only called out four times, each lasting about a second and a little less than a second apart, but I was able to consult Merlin and determined it to most likely have been a Sharp-shinned Hawk.

I was able to see one more American Crow flying in this area, alerted by its call before moving on to an open field. I spent a little over an hour wandering this area and finding a place to sit and observe, but multiple groups of people were moving loudly through this area. I eventually saw two American Crows flying close to each other and calling out. They emerged from one side of the forest, crossed the field, and disappeared into the line of trees on the other side of the field. I left this area and made my way back to where I started at the forest edge.

I scanned a dense, leafless bush at the forest edge with binoculars, alerted by movement. I was able to observe a Tufted Titmouse perching at eye level. This bird was very cooperative and occasionally hopped to different branches, but remained at eye level. It was very fluffed out against the wind, but its various movements provided an excellent look at various angles of its body. There was a Black-capped Chickadee in the same bush as this Tufted Titmouse, and it remained at a lower level, also consistently hopping between branches. They remained here for about ten minutes before the Tufted Titmouse flew farther back into the forest, and the Black-capped Chickadee departed shortly after. I headed to the bus stop after this encounter.

ID and Flight Physiology Prompt

The flight pattern of the American Crow was straight and smooth, with no noticeable undulations. The wing flaps were slow and consistent throughout its flight. The American Crow has broad, blunt-tipped wings that allow it to maintain a straight, direct flight. They are able to survive in a wide variety of habitats, typically preferring areas with some open space and available perches. The flight pattern can be used as a way to distinguish it from the similar Common Raven, who has a tendency to soar while the American Crow does not.

The flight of the Black-capped Chickadee involved rapid wingbeats and deep undulations. The wings would tuck against its side during the drop of the undulation, and flapping would resume to lift it to the crest of the undulation. The Black-capped Chickadee has an elliptical wing shape that allows it to live and forage in the understory and forest edges, and allows for maneuverability when flying in these areas. The flight pattern can be used to identify the Black-capped Chickadee because the undulations in flight were deep, and they tended to fly relatively short distances using this flight pattern. The slight pause in flapping its wings, the depth of each bounce in flight, and the short, relatively straight flight path can all be used to distinguish the Black-capped Chickadee from other song birds.

Publicado el 17 de febrero de 2019 a las 07:35 PM por meghanmurphy