FJ3: Ecological Physiology and Snag Watch

Date: 3/4/23
Start time: 8:30 am
End time: 10:00 am
Location: Fairfax, VT
Weather: Snowing, windy, and foggy
Habitat: Mixed coniferous-deciduous forest and open area swamp/brook

I started out this walk with not much luck. I was home for the weekend and due to the
snow didn’t have anywhere to go but the backyard. Thankfully, it’s rural and once you walk into
the woods for a bit, there isn’t much human distraction. I walked for about 30 minutes hearing
only a few Black-capped chickadees and not seeing anything. Due to the snow, wind, and fog I
figured they were holed up somewhere. I took note of six large snags with cavities but after
tapping on them, nothing stirred. I took note of three nests in some shrubs/small trees but they
were probably from the summer as they seemed old. I know that snags are really important for
nesting, feeding, shelter, and launching (for species like owls or kingfishers). Just because I
didn’t see any in use doesn’t mean they weren’t being used. I’ve seen owls in snags in my
backyard before, so I know they’re here and using them.
After not having much luck, I left the woods and headed over to the brook/swamp area. I
saw and heard three American crows; they were easy to identify as they were doing the classic
caws. I sat down for a while, as I thought my presence might have been too obvious for the birds
to come out, but after about 30 minutes, no luck beyond some more puffed up Black-capped
Chickadees. They were chattering back and forth quite a bit and it got to the point where it was
hard to tell if there were more than I thought, or just a couple were following me around. I
figured that due to the weather, most birds were conserving energy and staying warm by not
venturing out. Even though it had now been an hour, I decided to stop by the birdfeeder by my
house because I knew there would be some there. I had wanted to stick to a more ‘natural’
environment but knew that the birds would likely be focusing on getting food and staying warm
right now, and I knew where the food was.
Another half hour by the bird feeder passed and while I was there, I saw some more
Black-capped chickadees (or maybe the same ones), a Northern Cardinal couple (male and
female), a White-breasted nuthatch, and both a male Downy Woodpecker and a male Hairy
Woodpecker. It was really cool to see the differences between the woodpeckers in person. What
stood out the most to me were the body and beak sizes. The White-breasted Nuthatch calls were really interesting but unfortunately neither the iNaturalist or Merlin apps could pick up on the sound over the
wind. Speaking of the wind, it was very interesting how every time it blew, the birds disappeared
and after it stopped for a while, they came right back out. They seemed pretty reliant on the bird
feeder that has various nuts, fruits, seeds, and suet and kept making return trips to stock up.
When it stops snowing, they should be able to find their own food a lot easier, including wild
nuts, seeds, berries, etc.
I’m excited to do another bird walk here another time, especially when it’s a little bit
warmer and maybe during dusk. I’ve seen and heard owls and whip-poor-wills in the evenings
and would love to record or get photos of some.

הועלה ב-מרץ 24, 2023 09:27 אחה"צ על ידי isabellecollum isabellecollum

תצפיות

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isabellecollum

תאריך

מרץ 4, 2023 09:24 לפנה"צ EST

תמונות/קולות

מה

ירגזי שחור כיפה (Poecile atricapillus)

מתצפת.ת

isabellecollum

תאריך

מרץ 4, 2023 09:23 לפנה"צ EST

תמונות/קולות

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מה

קרדינל צפוני (Cardinalis cardinalis)

מתצפת.ת

isabellecollum

תאריך

מרץ 4, 2023

תמונות/קולות

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מתצפת.ת

isabellecollum

תאריך

מרץ 4, 2023

תמונות/קולות

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מה

ירגזי שחור כיפה (Poecile atricapillus)

מתצפת.ת

isabellecollum

תאריך

מרץ 4, 2023

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isabellecollum

תאריך

מרץ 4, 2023

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isabellecollum

תאריך

מרץ 4, 2023

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מתצפת.ת

isabellecollum

תאריך

מרץ 4, 2023

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מה

קרדינל צפוני (Cardinalis cardinalis)

מתצפת.ת

isabellecollum

תאריך

מרץ 4, 2023

תיאור

Male and female

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ללא תמונות או קולות

מתצפת.ת

isabellecollum

תאריך

מרץ 4, 2023

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