Date- 05/09/2021
Start Time- 9:00 am
End Time- 10:30 am
Location- North Andover, MA yard and neighborhood
Weather- 61 degrees F, Sunny, very light breeze, few small clouds in sky
Habitat(s)- huge tree in yard, bird feeders sidewalk in neighborhood, trees and shrubs on side of the street, grassy areas

Date: 04/24/2021
Start time: 1:00 pm
End time: 2:30 pm
Location: UVM Athletic Campus
Weather: high 60s, partly cloudy, slight wind (pretty slow speed), no precipitation
Habitat(s): University area, pine tree area, open sky, found in street trees, parking garage, places with disturbance of people and sounds such as cars etc.

In relation to a birds mate, nest, or territory selection, there are various behaviors such as aural and visual that play a large role in their process. The actions that the different species of birds take are vital in their survival. Some of these actions include singing the song to attract a female bird, singing their song to communicate for other birds about their territory or even about food selection, or communicating as a defense. For example, the American Robin is a very abundant bird that can be seen throughout campus in a variety of locations. However, more specifically they can be found nesting in the street trees that line the sidewalks and roads on athletic campus (but they can also be found elsewhere, just this area is where I found them).

The American Robin can be often found in the ground searching for worms that is close to their territory as well as building nests in these trees that are somewhat close in space so they can fly between them. Finding food is very important to the Robins fitness as it helps feeding their young. Nest building is very important when it comes to mate selection and producing offspring. This also involves defending territory of the area of the nest to ensure that the offspring are protected. Depending on the nesting requirements for a bird, the way that they defend the area can be very different. If the young require help from the parents, the more likely they may be to defend the area.

An example of a bird defending territory could be the Ring-billed Gull. Although they are often found by the water, the ones on campus are in search of food. Compared to other birds of this species, the areas they were defending could be considered poor or prime. Because there is a lot of traffic through the area, food may be easier to find. However, because of the high traffic, it could be harder to be able to be safe in retrieving the food as well as it being possibly far from their nesting territory. This might indicate that the Ring-billed Gull's fitness is that they are a scavenger and don't really have a preference of where they go to find food. I am not quite sure where they would be nesting if they are searching for food in this area. The nesting habitats of a Black-capped Chickadee vary from the American Robin and Ring-billed Gull. The chickadee often builds nests from moss or other rough materials while lining them with fur and other items of similar feel. They may build these nests in dead trees or branches or even bird boxes in residential areas. If they are nesting in a bird box usually not many materials could be required but for being in dead trees the materials are usually readily available on the forest floor or off the trees. Nesting varies greatly between species.

Date: 4/17/2021
Start time: 1:30 pm
End time: 2:55 pm
Location: my house in North Andover, MA and my general neighborhood
Weather: about 50 degrees, slightly windy (10 mph or so), partly sunny
Habitat(s): bird feeders, yards, various species of trees and shrubs, nests on houses

Date: 04/03/2021
Start Time: 11:00 AM
End Time: 12:25 PM
Location: North Andover, Massachusetts
Weather: 50 degrees Fahrenheit, slightly windy, partly cloudy
Habitats: my residential backyard, large trees, shrubs and grasses, various bird feeders in the yard, a lot of squirrels

This past weekend, I bird watched from the comfort of my own home (I was also driving in New Hampshire and saw a Bald Eagle so I had to include that in this post). My mom has become obsessed with bird watching and has put about 10 different bird feeders in our yard and on our large oak tree in the yard. My dog may have scared off many birds during the day but I still managed to see a variety of species during my time birding.

A majority of the species that I saw this weekend stay in Massachusetts (and Burlington) all year round. This includes the Black-capped Chickadee and the Downy Woodpecker. To me, this seems that these species of birds do not need to migrate down south for the winter months. These birds might not need migration for a variety of different reasons. They may not migrate due to the food being available for these birds as well as being physiologically adapted to the cold winter months in the northeast. In order for this to occur, the birds must have metabolism that works to have a higher body temperature which also allows for insulation through fluffing up their feathers to trap heat. Another important factor to consider is where they can stay overnight. The three birds that I found are often found in residential areas or woods where they can nest in the cavities of trees or in bird houses.

One facultative migrant that I saw in Massachusetts that will also be arriving in Burlington soon (or is already there) is the American Robbin. A facultative migrant is one that does not always migrant in the winter if the conditions are more mild than harsh. The American Robbin was most likely coming somewhere more south of New England, because some may stay in Vermont/Mass for the winter if conditions are mild, however, many do come from the Southwest and Gulf Coast Area. Food in these areas is more abundant than in the north so the reason for travel is to find an abundant source that has easier access to food. In Burlington, VT and in Massachusetts, the snow has mostly melted and the trees are starting to turn green and because it is now spring time with more warmth, there will be high productivity. This will allow for American Robbins and other facultative migrants to have an abundant source of food.

I did not see any obligate species during my time bird watching. One advantage of being an obligate migrant arriving to Burlington at the start of April would be that they are able to find and set up the best nesting/breeding site and create their own territory. This would all be able to occur before other species of birds start to show up later during the month. One disadvantage to being an obligate migrant was that it requires a lot of energy to travel long distances throughout various parts of the year.

Mini-activity:
The rough total mile for the facultative birds saw would be about 1250 miles.

Date: 03/20/2021
Start time: 9:30 AM
End time: 11:00 AM
Location: ECHO Center, Perkins Pier, followed the bike path south
Weather: temperature was about 38 degrees or so when we started and rose throughout the day, slightly windy because we were next to the Lake, sunny with little to no clouds in sky
Habitat(s): waterfront (in the lake and flying above), trees/wooded area along the bike path, sandy shore, patches of ice in the water, docks

For this time bird watching, I joined the class field trip on Saturday at the ECHO Center. We started at the ECHO Center waterfront and continued South along the bike path past to Perkins Pier and a little more south. As a class we saw around 17 species but personally I only saw 10 species of birds.

All of the bird species that I found generally lived in the same type of habitat by the waterfront. There is the specific group of the water birds and passerines. At the back of the ECHO Center, 3 Common Merganser (2 female and 1 male) were found floating in the water as well as a few Mallards (both male and female) as well a few Ring-billed Gull. The interactions between these three was minimal but both species of ducks were going under water to search for food (the Common Mergansers were diving while the Mallards would put their heads under for a short amount of time through tipping their heads). Further down the bike path there was a sandy shore where there were a lot of Mallards and Ring-billed Gulls. Both of these species seemed to be thermoregulating by fluffing up their feathers to trap the warmth in. Some of the female and male Mallards were interacting through grooming themselves and making their feathers look nice, possibly to attract the opposite sex.

The Ring-billed Gulls interaction was mainly through a lot of vocal communication. They could be heard squawking all around in the sandy patch on the shore and even in the air. One of the gulls was calling out while standing which had other gulls start to arrive at this spot. Shortly after they flew off probably to go scavenge for food. Their communications could still be heard in the distance and was most likely to help signal others or signal that a source of food was found.

The plumage of the Common Merganser is very different between the male and female. The male had a dark green head with orange bill and a striking line between the green head and white body. The female had an orange head and bill with a grayish body color with a shaggy crest. From late summer to early winter the males wear non-breeding plumage that looks like the females. During the breeding season, the males colors help in attracting females. For Mallards, there is also a striking difference between the males and the females. The males have a green head with brown body (these two colors are separated by a white line) while females are mottled brown. Some of the Mallards had a different sort of plumage. Some had cryptic plumage meaning that they detected potential danger so they freeze which provides a camouflage effect when the bird is motionless in the vegetation. This could have occurred because a lot of sounds were happening as well as a big group of people approaching. Another type of plumage seen was some Mallards had sunning plumage. This is when the birds spread out in the sun to expose the plumage and skin to the direct sun. This is beneficial because on days like this where the wind is cold but it is sunny, it can help in keeping the birds warm.

A lot of what the Mallards are doing fit into their circannual rhythm. During this time of year it is the very end of winter is about to become spring so the females are experiencing pre-alternate molt which then leads to pair-bond maintenance. This was noted through the grooming of themselves to attract others at the sandy patch of shore. Soon the birds were do vernal migration in order to breed. The majority of the Mallards were spending their time resting and staying warm because it is still not completely warm out yet especially in the mornings. A few were foraging for food in the lake through tipping their head under water.

Mini Activity:
At the end of our birding trip, we attempted to spish on the bike back in a patch of cedar trees. A Black-capped Chickadee and a few Ring-billed Gulls were spotted and heard. However, I do not think that they came due to our noises because the area we were in was pretty noisy due to it being right next to a water treatment facility. I think it would have been better to do spishing in an area where it is quiet with less disturbance. This sort of sounds may work because the repetitive noises can alarm the small birds. These birds can come together to chase large predators away. It also may be similar to insect noises which could attract small birds that may eat them. A third reason could be that the smaller birds are more playful and just like to know what the sounds are.

Date: 02/27/2021
Start time: 2:48 pm
End time: 4:30 pm
Location: Salisbury, MA State Reservation
Weather: Partly sunny, windy, no precipitation, cold, about 25 degrees Fahrenheit
Habitat(s): beach, parking lot, slightly wooded/planted pathway near beach (campground area)

During this weekend, I went home to visit my parents and on this Saturday we took my dog to the beach to run and play for a bit. I thought that this would be a perfect time to go birding because I was in a new space with very little distractions. Although not many of each species were seen, it was nice to see three different types of birds (American Crow, Herring Gull, and Cedar Waxwing) during this visit. Because I was at the coast, it was a lot windier out which may contribute to not many birds being seen. The American Crows that I had seen were flying above the parking lot most likely looking for some source of food. However watching the Cedar Waxwings sitting in a tree and the Herring Gulls looking for food sources near trash was really interesting.

Because it is so cold out, birds most often fluff up their feathers and trap a layer of warm air against their body which is what the Cedar Waxwing was doing in the tree. Birds can also do muscle contractions to create body heat without shaking like humans do when we shiver (https://www.ocregister.com/2014/01/06/how-do-birds-stay-warm/). During the winter time birds budget their time by trying to maintain their body temperatures and look for food sources if they are not a migratory species.

Food is an important factor for helping the birds stay warm. Most birds during the winter maximize the calories they need while spending less time using them. For example, birds spend a lot of time during the day searching for foods with fats that helps them stay warm throughout the night until they can go look for food again (https://www.audubon.org/how-do-birds-cope-cold-winter). Most often during these winter months birds can be found eating seeds, nuts, some insects that can be found within trees, and even sap. In populated areas, people with bird feeders help with providing food. Scavenger birds such as the Herring Gull continue to scavenge by trash in areas such as the beach where people leave food.

A birds diet does vary a lot in winter in comparison to other seasons. This is because in the winter food supply is a lot harder to find so they have to have a lot of extra calories to be able to survive. When food is found they eat a lot to maximize their calories. In the warmer months when food is more abundant this does not need to occur. What they eat does not vary too much it is more about how much they consume. At this state reservation, I think that many birds spend their nights in trees or in cavities within the trees where they can stay warm and hide in the wooded area. Because it is a wide open beach, it is limited to where they can go.

Mini-activity:
Where I was, there was not many trees except by the small wooded area for camping but it was not dense with large trees. I only noticed a few snags here and there along the walking trail. These snags had a few cavities within them. I looked inside and could not tell if there was any evidence of a bird being there. This may play into why there was not many species of birds there because there was limited places for them to stay warm, I also did not go near dusk so that could play a role. The bigger the size of the snag more likely there is more cavities holes that could be larger in size. Snags are important for birds because they can be used for roosting sites for birds and even bats. They can also be used to find food for the different species and can be used as a form of protection.

Date: 02/20/2021
Start time: 1:55 pm
End time: about 3:20 pm
Location: Area around UHS and Patrick Gym
Weather: 25 degrees Fahrenheit, cold, windy, gray skies, light snow off and on
Habitats: various species of trees next to road and commonly used pathways

During my 90 minute birding excursion, the only species of birds that I had found was the American Robin. The more populated places was two trees outside of the Mosaic center and in front of MAT. The other was a tree outside of the Patrick Gym and one that was directly across from in on the side of Harris. A lot of the time they were sitting in the branches of the trees but a few of the birds would fly back and forth between the different trees.

An American Robin has an elliptical wing shape. This type of wing shape is most common in birds because it is built for the ability to move. It is made for birds to move in tight species such as in the woods or even between buildings in a populated area such as the Robins. The American Robins flight pattern from what I saw between them moving between the two trees was that they have a slightly rapid beat. In order to land on the branch the birds would fly to land straight on the branch pretty quickly due to their speed. Because during this walk I found no other birds I cannot compare it to another species I observed.

There is an evident relationship between wing shape, flight style, and habitat niche. Different types of wing shape allow for birds to have different move-ability. The bigger/longer the wing usually allows birds to be able to glide without having to flap a lot. When a bird has shorter wings it is often to be able to fly fast in smaller, tighter spaces. These types of wings and flight pattern play into where each of the birds habitats are. The longer wing birds often live in open spaces where there is plenty of room to fly while the smaller wings are suited for birds who live in tighter spaces such as the woods. You might be able to use a birds flight and flapping pattern to identify the species by using context clues. If you are in the woods you know it is probably not a bird who has high aspect ratio wings and is gliding. This can help doing process of elimination.

This was my first time officially birding. The only species found was the American Robin in the general area of where I was looking. This might be because where I was there were only so many trees that were suitable for birds to perch in or build a nest in. I also went when it was pretty cold and windy out where it was starting to snow off and on for the hour or so. This isn't really the best weather for birds to be flying in so I am sure that many were staying put somewhere away from the snow. A better time for me to go would have been on a sunny day maybe closer to morning when they are all starting to wake up. I also should expand where I was looking to go to the Redstone Pines where there are a lot more trees and is more dense "woods".

Mini Activity:
For the mini activity I drew a generic looking song bird. When I identified the American Robin it was fairly easy to do because they have the orange patch on their face/belly area. As well as the brown back and light gray/white belly. These were the key features that helped me in identifying them.