North Beach Bird Walk

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.

Publicado el 07 de abril de 2017 a las 10:20 PM por mrgorton