Diario de mrgorton

On May 5th, 2017, at 10:45 a.m., I went on a birding excursion at the University of Vermont’s Centennial Woods in Burlington Vermont. The temperature was 50°F and it was raining. The wind was blowing Southeast at 8 mph. Centennial Woods consists of areas of shrubland, maintained forest edge, swamps, thin woodlands, and dense woodlands. Most of my observations took place at the forest edge, to ascertain which species do well on fragmented landscapes. I decided to visit Centennial Woods for the second time to see if there was a difference in bird activity during the spring, in comparison with the winter. I found that there were more bird species present during the spring, compared to the winter.

Today, on April 28th, 2017, at 11:10 a.m., I decided to explore the Burlington Bike Path in Burlington and Colchester Vermont. The temperature was 68°F and it was cloudy. The wind was blowing in a North Northwest direction at 8 mph.

The first birds that I ran into along the bike path were a pair of Mourning Doves. They were splitting their time between foraging and interacting with each other in a residential yard. After noticing the Mourning Doves, the whole landscape seemed to come alive. It sounded like I was surrounded by an orchestra of birds. I heard many birds that I was familiar with, such as Red-eyed Vireo, White-breasted Nuthatch, and Black-capped Chickadees. There were also no shortages of bird songs that I was unfamiliar with. It was truly a beautiful spectacle to hear.

There appeared to be a clear divide between the territories that the birds occupied. The Red-winged Blackbirds, Tree Swallows, and Rock Pigeons appeared to prefer open habitats. The song birds preferred the wooded habitats and the American Robin and Common Grackle preferred the more residential areas, while the waterfowl obviously preferred the wetland areas. While I was walking, I heard what I thought were Canada Geese honking and a dog barking. I believed that a dog was attacking one of the Canada Geese that I saw. So I rushed over to observe what was happening. I was shocked to see three Canada Geese aggressively fighting each other. I have never seen or heard of this happening, so I was extremely excited to witness this awesome event. I am not sure why they were fighting, but I believe that they may have been fighting over a female.

One species that truly stood out to me was the vocal Red-winged Blackbirds, their songs dominated the landscape. I observed one male Red-winged Blackbird chase away an inferior Red-winged Blackbird away from his territory. Compared to the inferior bird, the superior bird had a much larger red patch on its wing. After the superior bird chased away his would be usurper, he circled his territory, landed on a cattail, and started signing again. His territory was located on the edge of the Winooski River and it was approximately 30 meters by 30 meters in area. This territory was open allowing for his song to carry, filled with grass, and could potential support numerous female Red-winged Blackbirds. This active defense of a pristine territory indicates that this individual Red-winged Blackbird had excellent fitness. I also saw another Red-winged Blackbird defending his territory in a swampy woodlot. It seemed as though he had no competition for this poor territory and I believe that he didn’t have any interested suitors, which could possibly be due to his song being muffled. I wouldn’t say that this bird was in poor condition, however he wasn’t as fit as the previously mentioned Red-winged Blackbird.

Another species that was exhibiting interesting behavior was the Northern Cardinals. I saw a male Northern Cardinal defending a female. The male was a few meters away from the female, singing his song and foraging for nest materials. Every now and then, the male would bring a stick to the female who was performing busy work inside a buckthorn thicket. This pair of Northern Cardinals occupied an area in the woods and seemed to collect most of their nesting materials from the surrounding area. Out of curiosity I decided to mimic the male Northern Cardinals song. At first he humored me and responded back, but after a short period of conversation, he seemed to become irritated. He stopped answering and went back to work.

I would say that this expedition was a great success. Not only did I get to enjoy the beautiful weather, but I was also able to make a bunch of valuable observations. I feel as though I now have a better understanding and appreciation for the avian world.

On April 14th, 2017, at 11:30 a.m., I went on a birding excursion at North Beach in Burlington Vermont. The temperature was 52°F and it was sunny. The wind was blowing North-northwest at 3 mph. North Beach consists of areas covered in beach sand, maintained grass lawns, swamps, and thin woodlands. Most of my observations took place at the shoreline, to facilitate my obsession with waterfowl. I decided to visit North Beach for the second time to see if there was a difference in bird activity mid-day, in comparison with sunrise. I found that the birds were more active at sunrise than mid-day.

Today, on April 7th, 2017, at 5:48 a.m., I went on a walk at North Beach in Burlington Vermont. The temperature was 39°F and it was raining. The wind was blowing in a southerly direction at 5 mph. This was by far the earliest birding expedition that I have undertaken in quite some time. I chose to go birding before dawn so I could see if the activity level differed from the afternoons.

The bird activity started much earlier than I anticipated. I heard a flock of European Starling causing a ruckus before I even departed my apartment. I took this as a good omen and anticipated seeing an abundance of birds. When I arrived at the North Beach parking lot, I noticed multiple American Robin signing from some brush. I could not see them due to the dimly lit sky and I didn’t want to turn my spotlight on and risk spooking them. As I walked on the trail towards the water I heard 2 Mallards quacking as they flew above me. They seemed eager to get into the water. Their eagerness made me wonder if there was a predator present, this appeared to be the case. Just as the Mallards where setting down in the water, some dogs started barking at them, flushing the Mallards up once again. The dogs quickly grew tired of harassing the Mallards and went on their way. After waiting 5 minutes or so, the duck activity significantly increased. 6 more Mallards decided to fly overhead and set down in the bay. However, they didn’t stay long, due to me scaring them away.

As soon as the sun rose, North Beach seemed to be a hotspot for bird activity. I heard a bunch of American Crow in the distance, the distinctive “peter-peter-peter” of the Tufted Titmouse, and the “chickadee-dee-dee” of a few curious Black-capped Chickadee. I heard and saw a couple of Ring-billed Gulls flying over the waves and then foraging for food on the beach. Among the waves, about 100 meters away, I noticed 2 Common Merganser drakes and 1 Common Merganser hen. The drakes appeared to be displaying some sort of ritualized behavior, possibly competing over the hen. 2 Canada Geese were hanging out closer to shore, contemplating if I was a threat. The most peculiar behavior I observed was of an American Robin. I heard the little fella singing in some cedar trees and then out of nowhere it would fly onto the pavement path leading to the parking lot, pick up a worm, and then proceed to gobble it up. It repeated this procedure multiple times. This seemed to be an extremely efficient foraging pattern, especially in the rain.

It was interesting to think of the reasons why birds decide to migrate. It makes sense that the Black-capped Chickadees don’t migrate. They are able to survive off of small amounts of food from bird feeders and the remaining seeds on trees, such as sumac. They are not picky when it comes to survival, they have been known to feed out of human hands during the winter months. The Black-capped Chickadees are also proficient at stock piling food for later. Black-capped Chickadees are also able to survive the cold winter, due to their ability to go into torpor, allowing them to conserve energy.

On the other hand species like the Common Merganser must migrate south, where there is open water. Common Merganser are diving ducks, so it is important that the ice is gone on the lakes and rivers for them to feed. The warmer weather has facilitated the arrival of the Common Merganser and other waterfowl. I am assuming the Common Mergansers have slowly worked their way up north, following the retreat of the ice and snow. Other birds, such as Peregrine Falcons may be arriving in uneven ratios of males to females. The Males may have migrated a lesser distance than the females to ensure that they would arrive sooner than the competition, guaranteeing them an optimal nesting site. This will make them more attractive to the females and in turn more reproductively successful. However, there may be a lack of food from arriving early, which could also negatively affect their fitness.

Today, on March 24th, 2017, at 12:27 p.m., I went on an expedition on the Causeway, which connects Colchester and South Hero Vermont. The temperature was 32°F and it was cloudy. The wind was blowing in a southerly direction at 18 mph.

I started walking towards the Causeway on the bike path that runs from Burlington through the Champlain Islands. I didn’t have to walk far before I heard the first bird activity. The first bird that I encountered was an American crow hanging out in an oak. This lone Crow wasn’t very active, it just “cawed” into oblivion. I am not positive if the American Crow was trying to communicate with other crows, or show its disgust with me. Regardless of its intentions, I do not believe that its calls where carrying very far due to the high winds. After observing the lone Crow for 5 minutes or so, I decided to continue on towards the Causeway. Approximately 50 meters from the American Crows oak tree, I heard the distinctive Chickadee-dee-dee of 3 Black-capped Chickadees. These surprisingly acrobatic individuals appeared to alert each other of my approach. Due to their distinctive calls, one would think that Black-capped Chickadees are vain and just like to hear their own names. However, they are actually using this form of communication to alert each other of impending danger. The amount of “dees” that they add onto the end of their calls, correlates with the threat of danger they feel is near. Apparently they didn’t feel like I was much of a threat, due to their short calls and their complete disregard for me. They briefly acknowledged me and continued to fly from branch to branch.

When I finally got out onto the Causeway, I was greeted by the cold wind whipping into my face. I saw what appeared to be 2 Ring-billed Gulls, about 100 meters west of the Causeway. I couldn’t tell if they were communicating with each other due to the high winds, but they appeared to be foraging for food; flying just above the waves. About 10 minutes later I saw 2 Herring Gull struggling to fly above the causeway. They were only 3 or 4 meters above the ground and appeared to be stationary due to the high winds. I believe that they may have been searching for a safe landing spot that would keep them out of the wind.

There was a bunch of waterfowl activity in the open water in between Law Island and Sunset Island. I flushed up 3 Lesser Scaup. They flew off in a tight formation and landed about 300 meters from their original spot. I also observed 2 Canada Geese and at least 13 Common Goldeneye floating in the water about 30 meters from Law Island. Once again I couldn’t distinguish if the birds where communicating, but they were displaying some interesting behavior. The Canada Geese and the Common Goldeneye had no problem intermingling. However, the two species exhibited different behaviors. One Canada Goose was bobbing in the water searching for food, while the other appeared to be preening its wing. The Common Goldeneye were demonstrating courting behavior. The males would start to bob their heads and then they violently threw their heads back. It was quite awesome to observe this odd behavior!

After observing the waterfowl interact, I moved on and saw 7 Herring Gull. 3 of them were flying above the open water, while 4 of them were standing on the ice. Then I saw 6 Common Goldeneye set down onto the water. They also began to exhibit the courting behavior that I described before. As the Common Goldeneye were interacting, a Mallard drake shot by my head! It was quite invigorating! I also observed 6 Lesser Scaup alternating from foraging in the water and hanging out on the ice. Perhaps the coolest part of this expedition was when I flushed up an enormous flock of Common Goldeneye. There was well over 100 of them! As they flew the flock seemed to pulsate as the ducks moved in unison. I could also hear whistling as they flew, which I am assuming was coming from their wings.

This was an extremely successful birding expedition. I saw many species interacting with each other and gained an insight into their everyday lives. I learned that birds will seek cover in inclement weather and they will not waste any good opportunities to forage. All of the birds were quite active when I first got to the Causeway, but as soon as it started to snow the small birds disappeared into the forest. The waterfowl and gulls didn’t seem to mind the snow and remained active regardless of the wind or snow. However, the ducks spent almost equal proportions of time foraging and interacting with each other. The Common Goldeneye seemed to be the most social species I encountered, but there did seem to be some sort of pecking order. There appeared to be equal spacing between each individual duck that I saw in the water. Every action of each individual bird, from all of the species seemed to be deliberate.

There was quite a bit of variation in the plumage of waterfowl, even within individual species. The colorization of the hens was much duller, while the drakes are much more colorful. I believe that this is due to the hens being more valuable for reproduction. The Mallard drakes have green heads and brown and grey bodies, while the Greater Scaup drakes have greenish heads, grey backs, white under bodies, and white chests. I believe that most ducks evolved light under bodies to camouflage themselves against the sky above and darker backs to camouflage themselves with the water below. Overall I was extremely happy with this expedition.

Today, on March 7th, 2017, at 1:38 p.m., I went into Red Rocks Park in South Burlington Vermont. The temperature was 41°F and it was sprinkling. I was afraid that there wouldn’t be a lot of bird activity due to the high wind; it was blowing in a southerly direction at 18 mph. It turns out my fear was unfounded, for the forest started to come alive.

I was walking down the main path of the park, observing a small dog prancing, when I heard some American Crow cawing in the distance. This quickly grabbed my attention and got me into birding mode. The path I was walking down was quite narrow and flanked on both sides by eastern white pine (Pinus strobus). Approximately 5 minutes after I first heard the cawing of the American Crow, I saw 3 American Crow fly south over the eastern white pine stand. I decided to follow this group of American Crow towards Lake Champlain. This turned out to be a great idea, because I saw 10 more American Crow flying towards the lake. This group of American Crow appeared to be flying towards some trash containers, which I believe they were doing to forage for food.

After observing the American Crow, I decided to walk down some of the more secluded paths. As I was walking through a mixed stand of coniferous and hardwood trees, I saw a small bird fly through the canopy. It moved to quickly for me to ascertain what species it was. I stopped in the hopes of seeing this mysterious creature once more. As fate would have it I did not catch sight of it again. However, I did hear some sort of bird song coming from an eastern white pine snag. It was hard to distinguish the song, but I do believe that it was coming from a Tufted Titmouse. The whipping wind muffled the song, but I am quite positive that I heard the distinctive peter-peter-peter of a Tufted Titmouse.

For some odd reason, I got the strong urge to head towards the lake. To my surprise I saw 3 Canada Geese take off from the water and fly away in their characteristic “V” formation. I wasn’t expecting to see any Canada Geese for at least another month. Canada Geese migrate south for the winter in order to keep warm and to find enough food for survival. The recent warm weather must have prompted the Canada Geese to trek back north prematurely. Waterfowl are by far my favorite type of birds, so this unexpected sighting got me extremely excited to continue my expedition.

I was slightly chilled by the strong winds coming off of the lake. So I determined that it would be a good idea to do some bushwhacking, in order to warm up. I saw an eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) stand off in the distance calling my name. After sitting in my cozy lair for 10 minutes I noticed a small sparrow sized bird about 15 meters up an eastern white pine. I couldn’t positively identify it, but I believe that it could have been a Tree Sparrow or possibly a Dark-eyed Junco. As I was trying to determine the identity of this bird, I heard some American Crow cawing nearby. I decided to respond to their calls and gave out a few caws of my own. To my surprise they responded back to me and 2 American Crow flew overhead.

I felt sufficiently warmed after my encounter with the American Crow, so I decided to skirt the edge of the lake once again. As I was walking along the jagged cliffs I spotted a Ring-billed Gull flying among the waves approximately 150 meters from shore. As I was staring at the Ring-billed Gull I saw a pair of Common Mergansers flying parallel to shore. I quickly lost sight of them, but I was quite sure that the pair contained a hen and a drake. I wanted to confirm that these ducks were indeed Common Mergansers, so I followed them. I walked about a quarter mile along the shore until I finally caught up to the Common Mergansers; they were floating approximately 30 meters from shore. I was able to differentiate the two individuals and confirm that they were indeed a hen and a drake. I observed them for 15 minutes before them swam off. On my way out of the park I observed a Black-capped Chickadee fluttering through an eastern white pine stand. This stand had a sparse canopy with a thick understory.

All of the birds that I saw today, besides the waterfowl and the Ring-billed Gull, where found in areas that had fairly dense cover. These areas provide ample wind cover and contain plenty of dead snags that are being utilized by the birds and other wildlife. There was also an abundance of conifer cones on the ground, which may be used as a food source. The American Crow seem to primarily forage around areas occupied by humans and they seem to have no problem picking through trash. The waterfowl and the Ring-billed Gull probably eat fish and other aquatic organisms to survive. The food sources available to the birds that stayed behind for the winter are most certainly limited in comparison to the summer. The non-migratory birds must be hardier, or at the very least better winter competitors, in comparison to their migratory counterparts.

Today, on February 16th, 2016, at 2:37 p.m., I went into the University of Vermont’s Centennial Woods. The temperature was 28°F and it was snowing. When I first arrived in the woods, there wasn’t a lot of bird activity. But this soon changed; after 15 minutes of sitting still, the forest started to come alive.
I started to hear a multitude of American Crow “cawing” in the distance. The resident Black-capped Chickadees soon answered the calls of the American Crow and started to sing their own songs, “chickadee-dee-dee, chickadee-dee-dee.” After the Black-capped Chickadees sang their songs, I was quickly able to locate them in an eastern white pine. While I was observing these acrobatic Black-capped Chickadees jump from branch to branch, I noticed a streak fly by. It turns out that this was a male American Robin. This handsome bird decided that this was a good opportunity to land in a staghorn sumac and eat some of its succulent fruit.
After watching the American Robin for 15 minutes or so, the American Crows became very vocal and 25 of them flew overhead. I figured that either a human or some type of predator had frightened them. Suddenly I saw a bird of prey come into view, followed closely by a screaming American Crow. After a few moments I was able to determine that this bird of prey was a Red-tailed Hawk. The interaction between the Red-tailed Hawk and the angry American Crow was quite the sight to behold. The American Crow would scream and then swoop down at the Red-tailed Hawk and repeat this process over and over again. The Red-tailed Hawk would quickly flap its wings to avoid the American Crows attacks and then it would continue its glide. The other birds of the forest didn’t seem phased in the slightest, by the battle that raged above them. It seemed like they knew that they were in absolutely no danger.
I really enjoyed observing the birds interact with each other and their environment. They all seemed to have their own quirks and they seemed to be well adapted to the niche that they occupied. The Black-capped Chickadees were able to perform awesome acrobatic feats with their short wings. They would effortlessly jump from branch to branch by flapping their tiny wings two or three times. The American Robins flight seemed far less chaotic than the Black-capped Chickadees. It seemed to fly with a great degree of grace. The American Crows flew in flocks and seemed to never stop flapping their relatively long wings. The only time the American Crows didn’t flap their wings, is when the one brave crow decided to attack the Red-tailed Hawk. When this happened it changed the pitch of its wings and dove towards the hawk. The Red-tailed Hawk alternated between gliding and slowly flapping its wings to gain altitude. This method of flight seems to serve the Red-tailed Hawk well, especially considering their hunting strategy.