Feild Journal 1 Ornoithology:

Eli Tierney
• Date/time : 2/4/24, 4pm to 5pm
• Location – Along the walking path to UVM Farm
• Weather (temperature, wind speed/direction, precipitation) – Temp 33 real feel of 26. Sunny, no clouds
• Habitat(s) – Trees and shrubbery alongside a golf course, residential yards, agricultural fields, and the street. Tree species identified included sumacs, birches, and white pine. A creek followed along some of the path as well.
FIELD JOURNAL 1 :
During my time birding I observed the flight of many American Crows. They flew in large groups over a large agricultural field with trees along the edges next to the walking path. Their flight looked very steady or stable, with their bodies seemingly staying still. Their wing flaps were frequent and strong, seeming to constantly be propelling themselves. They were flying in groups of 5 to 15, vocalizing with caws frequently, as the sun started to set. I also observed a group of Rock Pigeons take off from a tree above a house, seemingly jumping upwards flapping their wings wide to take off. Their bodies seem to stay at angle during flight, not as straight or steady as the crows. I noted that they flew in a group of about 4 and swiftly turned together shortly after takeoff. Their wings flapped frequently, but did not seem to keep as steady as the crows.
Birds wing shape and flight pattern are adapted to different species’ habitat niches. The location and type of habitat is one factor we can see linked to wing shape. For example, birds who live in shrubbery, dense forests, or other environments that require high maneuverability to navigate through are likely to have elliptical wing shapes. Both pigeons and crows use this wing shape for quick take off and quick turns to navigate through environmental barriers such as trees or city buildings. Another factor is how wide their habitat niche is or how long they will be in flight for. Birds who need to go over large expanses such as bodies of water need light wings that can use currents and lift. These high aspect ratio wings can be found on gulls and other sea birds who need to stay lifted and can sacrifice maneuverability. What parts of the habitat a bird uses to feed on relates to wing shape as well. Birds who feed during flight are likely to utilize high speed wings. Their tapered shape and length allows for low drag and energy consumption which allows falcons to feed on the go. Their aerodynamic efficiency also allows for birds to go great distances relatively fast, which is great for birds who migrate to other habitats such as ducks. Birds whose habitat stretches wide distances, but require maneuverability to grab prey are likely to have slotted, high lift wings. The length of the wings allows for more lift at low speeds, using air currents to soar over large areas. The separation of feathers, or slots, allows them to use air currents to maneuver fast enough to catch prey as seen in bald eagles.
Since birds’ wing shape and flapping patterns connect to habitat use, they can be used as helpful tools to identify birds. Knowing the four main wing shapes can help by ruling out species whose shape does not match. Additionally, shape combined with how frequently, and fast the wings were flapping allows us to further narrow what species it could be. If the bird is flying solo or in a group may also help us as certain species are more social fliers than others. For instance, crows and pigeons both share the elliptical wing shape and fly together in groups. Though, a crow would likely be observed with steady, frequent wing flaps, while a pigeon would have harder flaps their body moving much more to keep up their bodies.
During this week’s bonus activity of sketching, I chose a cardinal. In the field I identified a female cardinal for the first time. This was a good chance to fill in my outline and really pay attention to how their marking fall on their body and what differences I could spot from males and other species.

הועלה ב-פברואר 10, 2024 02:35 לפנה"צ על ידי etierney