Diario de meghanmurphy

Meghan Murphy

The birding excursion began at 9:22am on April 7th. It was an overcast day with little to no wind, and it remained overcast until the very end of our excursion. The temperature was about 35°F. There were two other people present, one of whom was Kayley Dillon. Our observations will be the same, but all other work was done independently. Starting at the main entrance of Centennial Woods, we immediately saw an American Robin and Ring-billed Gull. We continued walking until we came to the first board walk, where we stopped to look for the Black-capped Chickadees we had been hearing. This was a reedy, wet area with a few Eastern white pines closer to the trail. We were able to see two Northern Cardinals, a male and a female, and see several Black-capped Chickadees. A few more chickadees were called in by whistling their call and making them curious enough to come closer. At least two Song Sparrows called back and forth but could not get a visual on them. A Ring-billed Gull and American Crow flew over us while we were observing in this area. We continued until we came to the top of a hill dominated by Eastern white pines and scattered snags. We were attracted to the sound of woodpecker drumming and were able to see a Downy Woodpecker on one of the snags. A Pileated Woodpecker called farther in the woods, and another American Crow flew overhead.

After going back on the trail, we stopped on the edge to investigate an area dense with reeds. We were able to see multiple Black-capped Chickadees, and hear several American Goldfinches, and Song Sparrows. We heard a call that we initially did not recognize and saw what we thought might be a House Finch or Purple Finch. Later investigation strongly suggested that it was actually a Pine Siskin. A Downy Woodpecker called nearby. We continued down the hill and went off the trail in pursuit of the sounds of Song Sparrows. We went to a clear area scattered with reeds and a stream cutting through it. We wandered this area and could hear multiple Blue Jays in the forested area straight ahead of us. We saw several American Robins and heard Tufted Titmice, Northern Cardinals, and White Breasted Nuthatches and a Downy Woodpecker at various points throughout the surrounding forest. Two Song Sparrows finally became visible, perching in the reeds before flying away to the tops of trees farther in the forest. Two Canada Geese flew low overhead in this area.

After returning to the trail, we continued up a hill and moved down towards the board walk leading to the retention pond where we had heard the calls of male Red-winged Blackbirds. We stopped on the board walk and heard a White-throated Sparrow and Song Sparrows. We continued up the hill that overlooks the retention pond and could see a proud male Red-winged Blackbird calling and spreading his wings, fluffing out the red patches of its namesake. We observed him and a few others before continuing to the top of the hill where we heard an Eastern Phoebe. Turning around and continuing the way we came, we saw another Song Sparrow and several more Black-capped Chickadees. We came out of the same entrance we had started in and made our way down to the fenced pond near the road to see more Red-winged Blackbirds. We heard both a Mourning Dove and a Common Raven on our way to this pond, and after the Red-winged Blackbirds flew away, we ended our excursion at 12:02pm.

Some year-round species we observed were Northern Cardinals and Black-capped Chickadees. Species such as these can afford to forego migration to retain the energy that would be spent migrating and have various adaptations that allow them to survive Vermont year-round. Black-capped Chickadees are able to survive the Vermont winters by creating food caches that they can visit throughout the winter and by selecting cavities to spend the night in. These wee birds are also able to fluff out their feathers to retain body heat. At night, Black-capped Chickadees can enter a hypothermic state to conserve energy that would be used to try and keep warm. Northern Cardinals are also able to fluff out their body feathers to retain heat. Their heavy bills allow them to access seeds protected by hard shells.

Red-winged Blackbirds are facultative migrants that are starting to arrive in Burlington. This species was coming from the warmer southern United States where it spent the winter away from Vermont. The fact that they remain in the United States means that these birds can tell when conditions are favorable to begin moving back towards their breeding grounds. Specifically, these favorable conditions were the warmer weather Burlington had been receiving.

If an obligate migrant arrived in Burlington in early April, it would potentially have earlier access to food resources and territory with limited competition. However, if the weather shifts back to intolerable conditions, the early bird may waste energy trying to deal with the suddenly harsh environment, leaving it unable to cope or weak when competition arrives.

Facultative Migrants:
Red-winged Blackbird: 500mi
Pine Siskin: Varies depending on irruptive year, but could potentially be close to 1000mi
Eastern Phoebe: 2000mi
Song Sparrow: 155mi
American Robin: 1500mi

This birding excursion took place on Saturday April 20, 2019 at Iroquois Lake in Williston. I was with two other people and we were joined by a small birding group a few minutes in. It was extremely foggy, and it was raining on and off, but there was very little wind. It was about 40° F. We began birding immediately upon arrival at 8:45am and saw a male and female Common Merganser together on the shore before they took off. Very soon afterwards we saw a Canada Goose on the water. A male and female Pileated Woodpecker flew overhead and began to drum nearby, and a Downy Woodpecker was heard farther in the woods. An American Robin was heard and seen in a tree. An Eastern Phoebe was seen and heard in a tree in front of us, and it was joined by a Dark-eyed Junco. We were able to hear the distinct drumming of a sapsucker farther in the trees. A Tree Sparrow was seen in a bush close to us, and I was able to get a good look at the rusty eye stripe, distinguishing it from a Chipping Sparrow. Before heading down the road, we heard a White-breasted Nuthatch.

When we began to walk down the road, we immediately saw a Herring Gull in the water before it took off. There were several sparrows foraging in the bushes, and we were able to identify three White-throated Sparrows and one Song Sparrow. As we continued down the road, we saw four Black-capped Chickadees and three American Robins. There was a Brown Creeper calling and we were able to observe it flying between multiple trees. A Mourning Dove was heard in this area, and another American Robin was seen. We heard the hollow drumming of a Ruffed Grouse deeper in the woods. As we came to a medium sized pond off the side of the road, we saw a male and female Wood Duck in the water before they swam to shore and waddled into the underbrush. A Tufted Titmouse was heard from a distance.

We continued to an open field where we could hear Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles. We saw a Common Grackle fly across the trail and land in a tree, and we saw a Mourning Dove in a tree farther in the field. Another American Robin and a Northern Cardinal were heard as we walked. As we continued along the field, we saw about five Red-winged Blackbirds and three more Common Grackles. A Tree Swallow was seen flying over the field. A Swamp Sparrow and another White-throated Sparrow were heard in the distance. A Northern Flicker was sighted in a tree before it flew among the trees for a few moments and returned to the same spot. Two more were seen in this area. A Red-bellied Woodpecker was heard and seen in the area as well. Two more American Robins were seen before we turned around. On our way back to the starting spot, we heard a Blue Jay and saw an American Crow.

Upon our return to our starting location, we saw another Eastern Phoebe and American Robin. We continued down the road in the opposite direction and heard a Canada Goose and another Eastern Phoebe. A Broad-winged Hawk flew past us and landed in a snag near the road. It was most likely hunting frogs in one of the vernal pools, and we saw the same individual again when we went to explore the vernal pool. When we returned to the car, we stopped to observe a flock of about five Dark-eyed Juncos, two Song Sparrows, and two White-throated Sparrows foraging on the grass. A Canada Goose was sighted flying over the lake, and shortly afterwards we saw one juvenile and one adult Herring Gull. One Red-Winged Blackbird and two American Robins were seen in a tree. A Brown Creeper was seen working its way up a tree, and a White-breasted Nuthatch landed in the tree next to it. The Brown Creeper was flushed away from its tree by a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, who remained in the tree for a few minutes before flying into thicker woods. We walked down the road for about a minute and heard a Mourning Dove and saw an American Crow fly overhead. An American Goldfinch was heard farther in the woods. We sighted a female Pileated Woodpecker drumming against a log on the ground before concluding our wonderful excursion at 12:04pm.

Male Red-winged Blackbirds were preforming their signature “conk-la-ree” songs while perching on tall reeds or trees. They do this to both defend their territories and attract mates. The males will often sing while fluffing up their red shoulder patches and spreading their wings and tail feathers. The Ruffed Grouse we heard was making a rapid drumming noise by beating its wings. This also served the dual purpose of defending its territory or performing for a female.

There was a small snag with a cavity that we saw Black-capped Chickadees excavating, and at one point one of these birds landed on the edge and went inside the hole. It is very likely that this Chickadee is building a nest in this tree cavity. For the Wood Duck pair, it is likely that they are taking advantage of one of the many snags that we saw in the forest near the pond. The cattails and weeds in the marshes or the bushes that lined it would make good nesting sites for Red-winged Blackbirds. The trees and shrubs near the water could provide nesting sites for Common Grackles.

Wood Ducks prefer to nest in tree cavities that tend to be far from the ground. These trees are usually near a body of water, and nesting boxes are often utilized by these ducks. Broad-winged Hawks build nests relatively low in either conifer or deciduous trees using sticks, moss, and bark. These hawks can also take advantage of an abandoned hawk or crow nests to raise their own young. Ruffed Grouse are ground nesters, and typically nest in spots that provide a view of incoming predators. They tend to nest in the leaves at the base of a tree, stump, or in brush piles.

For the sound map activity, I heard five different species. These included one Eastern Phoebe, two Pileated Woodpeckers, one Downy Woodpecker, one Canada Goose, and one American Robin. One Pileated Woodpecker and a Canada Goose were flying while calling.