May 1, 2023

FJ8 Field Observation 7

Date – 4/27/23
Start time – 12:45pm
End time – 2:00pm
Location – Carse Wetlands
Weather (temperature, wind speed/direction, precipitation) – some clouds, mostly clear skies, 57°F, 7.45 mph winds to the southwest
Habitat(s) – Beaver pond, mixed forest, tall grass
We heard a Barred Owl during the day which was pretty unexpected.

Posted on May 1, 2023 08:08 PM by ajberkow ajberkow | 10 observations | 0 comments | Leave a comment

April 26, 2023

FJ7 - Field Observation: Reproductive Ecology and Evolution

• Date – 4/21/23
• Start time – 6:45pm
• End time – 8:00pm
• Location – Centennial Woods
• Weather (temperature, wind speed/direction, precipitation) – 73°F, partially cloudy, 10mph winds from south east, no precipitation but 40% humidity
• Habitat(s) – mixed hardwood stands, conifer stands, swampy area, tall grass

I went out at a time where most birds were starting to be less active so I did not see many behaviors related to mate selection, nest selection, or territory selection, however, when I was leaving my house to go birding, I saw 2 male Northern Cardinals ‘fighting’ in the branches of one of the trees and there was a female Northern Cardinal in the tree next to it.
My neighborhood has a lot of bird feeders, so in terms of resources the area these birds were fighting over was pretty good. This is not very hidden though, so for a species that is may be a common prey species, this area may not be the best. Each species has different needs, so their nesting habitats may be very different. I would imagine that a bird who is less fit would be defending a less prime territory. Some birds may look for high insulation material for their nests. For example, I’ve seen a lot of birds picking up some of the fur that the dogs I dog sit for shed. Other birds may look for really sturdy materials like sticks. I don’t know of comfort is a birds priority when building a nest, but dry grass would probably make a soft lining for a nest.

For the mini activity, I only heard 2 birds. The most prominent was the Hermit Thrush. It was my first time hearing one! I was not able to find it, but I could tell it was coming from in front of me mostly. The echoy quality is so cool! Its call almost sounds like the jingle for Old Spice. The second bird I heard was a chipping sparrow. Its sound was coming from behind me. This activity was really cool because I never realized how much of an impact my sense of hearing had on interpreting where a bird may be located.

Posted on April 26, 2023 08:11 PM by ajberkow ajberkow | 7 observations | 0 comments | Leave a comment

April 16, 2023

FJ6 - Field Observation

• Date – 4/16/23
• Start time – 11:30am
• End time – 12:30pm
• Location – Waterfront Park
• Weather (temperature, wind speed/direction, precipitation) – 76°F, clear skys, 8mph winds from the south, no precipitation
• Habitat(s) – lake, suburban/urban

Posted on April 16, 2023 06:03 PM by ajberkow ajberkow | 6 observations | 0 comments | Leave a comment

March 27, 2023

FJ5 - Field Observation: Migration

Some of the year-round species I saw were White-breasted Nuthatches, Black-capped Chickadees, and Tufted Titmice. They may forego migration because they do not have the energy needed to migrate warmer areas. Because they don’t migrate, they need some adaptations to get through the winter. For example, Black-capped Chickadees go into facultative hypothermia to save energy. This is a physiological adaptation. A behavioral adaptation that may birds have is they can puff up their feathers to trap heat.
I didn’t know what the difference between facultative and obligate migration, so I looked that up first. I now understand that facultative migration is optional and usually happens in response to the environment while obligate migration is “hard-wired” and usually happens at the same time each year.
Considering a facultative migrant, the species may be coming from the south where it is warmer and there may be more food and other resources available to help them survive the winter. I did not see ant obligate migrants. Some advantages of arriving in Burlington this early may be getting first pick at breeding habitat and first pick at food resources. Some disadvantages of arriving in Burlington this early may be that the weather is unpredictable here during this time of the year. While it is starting to warm up, we still may get some pretty intense cold snaps that could be harmful to these species of birds.
For the mini activity, I saw a lot of American Robins. American Robins are considered facultative migrants. According to All About Birds, the American Robin breeding range is in Canada and the northern most parts of the US and their winter range is in northern Mexico and the southern most parts of the US. They begin migrating south when temperatures being to drop, usually in October. They migrate back north beginning in early spring. According to Columbia University, American Robins can fly up to 250 miles a day during their migration. Their migration distances may vary, but I calculated that from the Ethan Allen Park (where I saw them) to the closest part of their winter range, in northern Florida, an American Robin may migrate 1,103 miles.

Posted on March 27, 2023 08:11 PM by ajberkow ajberkow | 8 observations | 0 comments | Leave a comment

March 19, 2023

FJ4: Field Observation: Social Behavior and Phenology

While watching these birds, I noticed a lot of short calls and very few songs. I think this is because they were trying to communicate that there was a food source (the bird feeder on the tree in front of my house). Each sound that a bird makes means something different, but I am curious is birds can recognize the meanings of sounds from other species. Or is it like hearing a different language all together?
As for the plumages of the birds, I compared the Dark-eyed Junco and the Northern Cardinal that I saw. These birds have very different plumages. The Northern Cardinal (male) having bright red feathers while the Dark-eyed Junco having a dark grey above and a cream belly area. I would assume that the colors that stand out less (on the Dark-eyed Junco) give them the benefit of blending in and hiding while the bright colors (on the Northern Cardinal) make it stand out and maybe are even a warning sign to predators (like how colorful frogs are usually the poisonous ones).

One behavior that I observed that I thought was interesting was that the male Northern Cardinal that I saw was sitting on a branch (and remained there for quite a while) while the female Northern Cardinal was at the bird feeder eating. I know that Northern Cardinals form monogamous pairs, so I am assuming that those two were a pair. Thinking back to the last time I went birding before this, I remember seeing a female Northern Cardinal sitting on a branch for a long time. For that field journal assignment, I assumed it was doing that to conserve energy. I wonder if the male Northern Cardinal I saw this time was also doing that in addition to maybe keeping a look out while his mate was eating. Maybe they even take turns. I bet this behavior changes as it starts to warm up.
For the mini activity, when I repeatedly made the “pssssh” sound, a few Black-capped Chickadees flew closer to me. I think “spishing” attracts birds because maybe it is a sound that birds are not familiar with so they want to investigate what could be making that sound. But if this is the case, then shouldn’t any unfamiliar sound attract birds? So it must be a sound that the birds are familiar with. Maybe the “psssh” sound sounds like another bird call. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a bird make a sound that is similar to “spishing,” but maybe I’m not listening hard enough. I think the specific “psssh” sound works because best imitates an actual bird call. Whatever the reason is, I felt really silly making those sounds.

Posted on March 19, 2023 04:28 PM by ajberkow ajberkow | 5 observations | 0 comments | Leave a comment

February 27, 2023

FJ3: Field Observation: Ecological Physiology

• Date – 2/27/23
• Start time – 1:24pm
• End time – 2:30pm
• Location – Salmon Hole (and the abandoned building area across the street)
• Weather (temperature, wind speed/direction, precipitation) – 21°F, 3mph winds from the northwest, no precipitation, some clouds
• Habitat(s) – mixed trees, river edge, abandoned building
I went birding with another person from my class. We did not see very many birds, but we made observations of the behaviors and appearances of the bird during this season. I was expecting to see more birds by the waterfront of Salmon Hole, but we didn’t really see any there. A possible explanation for this is that it was a lot colder by the water, so birds may stay away from the water when the can in the winter to stay warm.
We crossed the street to an abandoned building that backed up to the edge of a big forested area and that is where we saw most of the birds. The birds looked pretty plump (that is really the best way to describe it). They were puffing out their feathers, probably to trap heat. We saw lots of Black-capped Chickadees which were jumping from tree to tree, a female Northern Cardinal who was just sitting, and a few American Robins that were eating the remaining berries on the trees. We also saw 2 ducks (maybe Mallards?) flying and 2 seagulls flying. The birds were pretty active because it was the warmest part of the day. The time they spend doing different activities during the winter changes as they are trying to conserve the most energy. For example, birds may spend less time moving because they are trying to conserve the energy they have. There is also less energy available to birds in terms of food, so they spend less time looking for food. Their diets also change. For example, I know that American Robins eat a lot of worms during the spring, but the ground is frozen during the winter so they eat more berries (what is remaining on the trees). Birds might also spend the night in different places during the winter. In populated areas, they may stay near houses because they are warmer. In less populated areas, birds may stay in holes in snags to protect them from wind, snow, rain, etc. (More on snags in the next paragraph).
For the mini activity, I made a map of the areas and marked where we saw snags. I am sure there were more snags than what we saw though. On the snags, we noticed many different holes. Some of the holes were really small and close together (which makes me think that a woodpecker may have been looking for food there at one point), and some of the holes were big. I noticed the bigger holes tended to be higher up on the snag. I used a stick to knock on one of the snags with a hole near the top and nothing happened, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that there wasn’t anything living in there. Snags are super important for lots of species. Birds may use snags as a place to build their nests that are a little more protected from the elements. Bugs may make their homes in snags too, and some bugs may eat the decaying wood. Birds can then eat the bugs in the snags.

Posted on February 27, 2023 08:34 PM by ajberkow ajberkow | 6 observations | 0 comments | Leave a comment

February 19, 2023

FJ2: Field Observation: ID and Flight Physiology

• Date – 2/19/23
• Start time – 2:14 pm
• End time – 3:15 pm
• Location – Centennial Woods, Burlington, VT
• Weather – 42°F, 16mph winds from the south, no precipitation
• Habitat(s) – mixed hardwood stands, conifer stands
I did not see very many species of birds flying today. I think one of the reasons I didn’t see many birds today is that it was relatively windy and we also just experienced some snow after most of it had melted during the few abnormally warm February days. Most of the birds I saw were on trees. I did see a few Black-capped Chickadees fly though. They looked as if they were bouncing from tree to tree, not in the air for longer than a few seconds. I also saw an American Crow flying from pretty far away, but I have seen American Crows fly before. It appeared as if its wings never stopped moving and its wings were rounded. This makes sense because more rounded wings are not great for gliding.
Although I did not see the Pileated Woodpecker fly, I want to mention what I was doing when I saw it. I was sitting down crying (I had a rough week but I’m ok) and I heard the classic laugh-like wuk wuk wuk wuk. I looked up and about 30 feet in front of me, at the bottom of a tree, there was a Pileated Woodpecker. I could tell it was a female because she did not have the red “mustache” that males have. She began pecking at the tree. She was pulling away chunks of bark. I stood and watched for about 7 minutes before she worked her way up the tree a little, then hopped to another tree and out of my vision.
For the mini-activity, I sketched a Black-capped Chickadee last night. When I saw on today in person, I noted that the underbelly of the bird was a little dirty/stained. I also noted where the eyes fall in relation to the “cap.” The bottom of the eyes are at the bottom of the “cap.” I also noticed that the “cap” goes all the way to the base of the beak.

Posted on February 19, 2023 09:12 PM by ajberkow ajberkow | 4 observations | 0 comments | Leave a comment

Archives

Gracias al apoyo de:

¿Quiere apoyarnos? Pregúntenos cómo escribiendo a snib.guatemala@gmail.com