March 29th Field Journal 5
On Sunday March 29th at 1:30 in the afternoon I went out into the field for bird observations. I noticed a lot of bird action from inside my house, so I decided to step into the backyard for observations this day. The weather was partly cloudy with winds light about 5 miles per hour. The temperature was about 48 degrees when I went out after a brief rain shower finished and completed my observation outing at 3:00. The area I conducted my observations in had about a 1-acre lawn, swamp bordering the lawn with a small pond coming out of it. Throughout the pond and swamp there are many cattails, and many deciduous trees behind the swamp. The road close by is a heavily traveled highway that goes to an interstate that is heavily traveled and noisy as well.
In the duration I was outside for field observations I was able to see 4 American Robins, 5 Red-winged Blackbirds, 1 Song Sparrow, and 2 Mallard Ducks (1 male and 1 female). The American Robins were seen in two groups 3 were feeding on the lawn, and 1 was roosted in a tree. Since the weather has been warming up here in Georgia, VT there has been a plentiful amount of American Robins present. The American Robin is usually a short distance migratory species when in Canada, but some chose to migrate in the US while others are able to stay throughout the winter making it a facultative migrant species. Their diets consist of insects and worms during the warmer months and consume fruit in the winter. If where they are can support their fruit diet they will stay. The Red-winged Blackbirds were seen in two groups 1 was alone roosted in a tree, while the four others were roosted in the tall cattails behind the swamp. The Red-winged Blackbird being a short distance facultative migrant it will consume insects during the breeding season, and other times of year will eat seeds, and grains.
The Song Sparrow was spotted in the grass and blended in very well it was hard to see! It stayed very still until it spotted me and flew off. Being a mainly residential bird, the Song Sparrow adapts their diet to availability, consuming insects, invertebrates and available seeds and fruits in the warmer months but switch to mainly seeds. The two Mallards were the most exciting part of my bird outing. The male and female were seen together bedded down on the edge of the pond in the yard. The Mallard is a migratory bird and will migrate to mild areas where the water does not freeze. Because of the weather warming the Mallard pair were moving north for breeding season finding a location to nest. The mallard moves to open water for their diet of water plants, snails, anthropoids, worms, insects, grass, corn, seeds. And will consume agriculture crops when migrating. Mallard species tend to winter in areas in the Southern US where the water does not freeze and will come back usually near the same breeding site from the previous year. They are coming back North during this time because the bodies of water in which they nest are now unfrozen, and the area can now support their diets. Advantages of a Mallard arriving in the Northern Vermont area in early April include being able to get back to their breeding grounds that they return to year after year without competition. There are also disadvantages to migration early which may include additional freezing weather, snow, and ice freezing up again this can affect where a mallard will nest for the time being and their food availability.
Mini activity: With the Mallard being the only obligate migratory species, I was able to see during this time and the others being facultative I was able to determine the distance they may travel. From Northern Vermont to the wintering range in states of Mississippi, Alabama, or Georgia Mallards have traveled right around 800 miles in their migratory trip.
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