Field Journal #4

Colin Lach
FJ#4

Walking through Wake Robin Retirement Community on Tuesday March 24th, I was able to identify some birds and observe their behaviors and interactions between each other. The weather at this time had a high of 54 and a low of 50 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny with snow on the ground. The path that I was walking through included mostly forested areas which provided a good opportunity to see a diverse group of birds. My walk and time spent observing lasted a little over two hours from 12:08-2:12.
Throughout my time on the paths of Wake Robin I was unable to identify a single species of bird, it seemed as if the stay home order had affected the birds too as I only saw one bird throughout the entire time. The one bird I saw I was unable to identify however I was able to get a photo of it. To answer the prompts provided I did research online regarding species that I have encountered in the past.
Birds communicate in different ways, the two species that I looked into to learn more about communication were the Black-capped Chickadee and Northern Cardinal. I learned that when a Black-capped Chickadee is trying to communicate aggression or anxiety they will fluff up their feathers and dance around as well they may approach with their beaks open. Northern Cardinals use mostly songs and body signals to communicate with each other. Male and female cardinals use “chip” calls to keep contact with their mates to signal alarm.
I could not find much information regarding the plumage of Black-capped Chickadees and Northern Cardinals, however both of these birds have very different colors showing the diversity that can exist within a single environment.
As I observed in my last field journal and researched more this week many of these birds are changing their behaviors due to colder weather or starting to exit this stage. Black-capped Chickadees fluff their feathers to insulate themselves from the cold by keeping warmth in. Aswell Black-capped chickadees along with many other birds stash food for the winter in preparation for the lack of food available. During the winter Northern Cardinals seek shelter in trees, specifically evergreens. They group together in pairs to maintain warmth and they are found to be a much brighter red during this season.
Overall this birding trip was not the most successful in terms of observations, however given the weird times we are living in it was very freeing and relaxing to get away from all of it and just spend a couple hours walking through nature. I look forward to future trips as the temp starts to warm up and am excited to see the changes in behavior and appearance of many of the birds I have already identified. Birds communicate in very unique and interesting ways and after learning what I have I am excited to see it all in person.

Observations:
Unknown Bird x1

Publicado el jueves, 26 de marzo de 2020 a las 03:39 AM por colinlach colinlach

Observaciones

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Rascadores, Zacatoneros, Juncos Y Gorriones (Familia Passerellidae)

Autor

colinlach

Fecha

Marzo 24, 2020 a las 11:36 PM EDT

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