היומן של jderby125

On April 8th, I went to Centennial Woods at around noon. It was overcast and in the mid 30's. Due to the cold, I was worried about low bird activity, but I was pleasantly surprised. As I approached the entrance to the woods, I found a flock of 8 American Robins foraging. A little ways down the trail, I found a small flock of Dark-eyed Juncos. From the entry I could hear many different kinds of birds calling and singing. Down by Centennial Brook, I found several Black-capped Chickadees flying in and out of the trees, and even more were around further down the trail. In a hemlock stand I encountered 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches. They were staying relatively close to the trail so I decide to play some calls from my phone. They immediately flew closer and perched on a tree right above me. One of them even started to call back to the phone.

On the way out of the woods, I stopped in one spot when I heard a woodpecker drumming. I looked around a spotted a Hairy Woodpecker at the base of a tree. I then looked up and spotted another Hairy Woodpecker on a tree farther back and a Downy Woodpecker on a branch between the other two. It was incredible to see three woodpeckers all within 10 feet of each other. At this spot I also heard a call I didn't recognize and went off the path a bit to try and spot the source. Up in a tangle of dead branches I spotted a lone American Goldfinch calling. In this area I also heard pairs of Northern Cardinal and Blue Jay calling back and forth.

All of the birds I observed were resident species, which I expected given the weather conditions. These birds have adapted to utilize food sources that are available year-round and are therefore able to survive the harsh winters. Many of these birds also appear to have dense plumage that would provide insulation and allow them to withstand the cold. Species that are migrating back now probably specialize in resources such as fruit that only become available as the weather warms up. This season may provide a challenge for them as it is still snowing and cold, meaning that their warm-weather resources will be unavailable for some time.

The only species I observed on this trip that migrates to some degree is the American Robin. From what I found, some individuals will move to areas with more resources but some also will stay in Vermont.

On Friday, April 20th, around 6 pm, I went to the small patch of woods behind Redstone campus. It was mostly cloudy and about 42 degrees Fahrenheit. There was a slight breeze which made it feel a bit colder than it actually was. The woods were completely deciduous with no evergreens around. The patch was also very small, providing limited habitat for a multitude of species. In addition to the forest there is a small retention pond surrounded by reeds where I saw the blackbird and some robins and starlings.

On Saturday, April 28th I went to Red Rocks Park around 2:30 in the afternoon. It was partly cloudy and around 60 degrees. From the moment I got off my bike, I could hear birds singing. Near the entrance I could hear several Black-capped Chickadees and a Northern Cardinal. At first, it got quieter as I walked further into the woods, but then I came upon a patch of still bare trees where I found several White-breasted Nuthatches, a Downy Woodpecker, and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. The nuthatch was singing and calling and seemed to be investigating the tree it was on. It is possible that it was considering this tree as a nest site. These birds nest in cavities that so it could have thought this was a candidate. This nest site seems questionable as it is directly next to the trail, and may indicate lower fitness in this individual.
Further down the trail, I heard two Ruby-crowned Kinglets singing from up in the canopy. It is likely that these two were trying to mark a territory. This would probably be a decent nest site as it was slightly off the trail and in the cover of foliage. Ruby-crowned Kinglets prefer to nest up in the canopy so it makes sense to hear them in this area. At this spot I also found a Golden-crowned Kinglet hopping from branch to branch. The dominant tree species in this area was Eastern Hemlock, and this is a preferred habitat of this bird so it could have been searching for a nest site.
On the way out of the park, I heard a Pine Warbler singing from the top of a tall evergreen. These birds prefer to nest high up in pines, so this seems like a prime habitat. Although it is close to the trail, the tree is very tall and it is unlikely the nest will be disturbed. This is probably an individual with relatively high fitness. Nearby, I heard a flock of American Goldfinch. These birds were flying between a couple of trees and singing loudly. These birds were probably not looking for nest sites as forest interiors are not usually their habitat of choice. It is likely that they were just trying to feed.
While at Red Rocks I also heard many Blue Jays. They were performing their full repertoire of calls, potentially to attract mates. These birds nest in trees and use twigs for the outer structure of their nests along with grass and mud. They may also line the nest with rootlets. Red Rocks seems like it has a fair amount of nest sites for Blue Jays so it is possible that they were trying to find a partner and start building a nest.