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.

Posted on March 4, 2021 10:09 PM by maevecronin