2/11/2023 Field Journal: Hunger Mountain

11:30am-1:00pm, 2/11/2023, Mount Hunger Trail, Waterbury Center, VT, partly sunny with completely snow covered ground, between 20 and 30 degrees Fahrenheit, forested area closer to base of mountain.

During my time out in the woods watching for birds I observed a Black-capped Chickadee and took note of its pattern of flight and wing flaps. I noticed that Black-capped Chickadees are very “hoppy” and are often quite bouncy even during flight. They are very acrobatic in the air as they soar in an up and down almost rollercoaster-like pattern. I also noticed that when their wings flap up and down, their longer tail feathers do too (which was especially noticeable before they land). Another species I observed was a Hairy Woodpecker. This bird’s pattern of flight was a little different from the Black-capped Chickadee. The Hairy Woodpecker had a rising and falling type of flight patterns but it was more smooth and less bouncy than the Black-capped Chickadee’s flight pattern. It would flap its wings very quickly a few times and then glide for a few seconds with its wings tucked to its body. This was a pretty distinct difference between both bird species.

There is definitely a relationship between wing shape, flight style, and habitat niche of birds. With the Black-capped Chickadee I observed, they need a specific wing shape that is quite small and flight style that is more "acrobatic" to be able to move swiftly between small branches of trees. For the Hairy Woodpecker, they use a more energy efficient flight style by gliding to move faster and save energy for other important activities. It is clear that depending on the needs of the birds, they have adapted to their habitats in a way that is most beneficial for them and their survival. It is really interesting to observe!

Because flight patterns are so unique to each bird species, you can use their flight and flapping patterns to identify them. It is important to consider the size and shape of the bird’s wings, whether it glides, soars, etc., and to think about the habitat they are in to aid in the identification process. Taking all of these factors into account can help us to infer what kind of birds would inhabit an area in the first place, and then would help us later when it comes to identifying a specific bird of interest.

Overall, I did not observe many birds on this trip to the forest. I observed 4 Black-capped Chickadees and 1 Hairy Woodpecker. I think the lack of birds can be partially attributed to the cold temperatures and the snow covered ground and trees. However, the time of day being between 11:30am and 12:30pm and the habitat being a large forested area seemed optimal for bird viewing. I think the main lack of birds could be due to the cold, but it would also be interesting to see if different elevations on the sides of the mountain could have an effect on how many birds I would observe.

הועלה ב-פברואר 20, 2023 11:18 אחה"צ על ידי ewoolf1