היומן של lannunziata2

On Tuesday, March 5, I was at the Colchester Causeway from 10:28 am to 11:31 am. It was an uncharacteristically warm day for March, around 45 degrees Fahrenheit and warming as the day went on. The sky was mostly blue, with some clouds moving slowly overhead. At the beginning of the Causeway, the wind was not at all bothersome, but out on the water, the breeze was much stronger. I would say, without having written this down at the time, the wind speed was around 3 mph from the south, with gusts up to 8-10 mph.

The entrance to the Causeway trail is a forest edge. The trees are primarily conifers with some hardwoods mixed in. Houses alongside the path often showcased more edges of the treeline, where lawns were managed next to the water. On this part of the path, Black-capped Chickadees were the primary species seen. They stuck in groups and tended to fly and hop between trees. Once, we heard a Northern Cardinal call that was slightly different from other more common calls the species makes. Upon finding a group of Black-capped Chickadees, we started pishing to try and get the chickadees to come closer. At first, nothing seemed to happen, but some of the more curious birds soon found their way closer to the concrete path. However, they were easily spooked by movement and sound and retreated back into the trees. These chickadees were likely looking for food near trees, and their behavior of staying close to the treeline reflected that. If they were not, it is likely that dense areas of forest cover help protect them from larger predators. This sound likely makes them think that other small birds are around and that a certain area is safe, so they congregate closer to other birds. During nesting season, this may also mean that potential mates are nearby, and they gather for that reason.

On the water, the two most common species we saw were Buffleheads and Common Mergansers. The Common Mergansers were found both close to shore and further out into Lake Champlain. The Buffleheads were primarily found away from shore. The males of both species have a large amount of white on them, which makes them stand out and easy to spot. Male Common Mergansers also have a green head, and male Buffleheads have a black back. When there is a glare, these areas of white make the bird harder to see through binoculars. However, from above, these white feathers would make them easy to see as well. The females of both species are slightly darker. Female Common Mergansers have a red head with a gray back and wings and Buffleheads are primarily gray-black. While this coloring makes them easy to spot with a glare, from above, they may blend in well with darker water. the lighter gray back of female Common Mergansers may make it more beneficial for them to be closer to shore, where the water is not as dark as in the center of the lake. Female Buffleheads may have a better time in the center of bodies of water because their feathers are so dark, and it makes them incredibly hard to see from above.

Buffleheads are also much smaller than Common Mergansers, even if they are both diving ducks. These birds may also use their plumage to their advantage. If they can remain safe from aerial predators while looking for food, they can manage their high metabolism and fly when needed. Diving also requires a lot of energy, so remaining in an area with ample amounts of food is also necessary.

On Friday, March 22, I was at Shelburne Bay from 2:45 pm to 3:56 pm. It was 30 degrees Fahrenheit, with winds from the Northeast at 5 mph with 10 mph gusts. It was gray and cloudy, and a winter storm warning was rolling in soon. Although it felt like 25 degrees Fahrenheit, it still felt warmer. The clouds were on the thin side, and it felt like midday with how bright the bay was. The water was relatively calm. Behind the bay, there was a large density of conifers around the LaPlatte River.

I saw many species I am used to seeing throughout the year, including Northern Cardinals and American Crows. These species stuck to the middle of hardwood trees closest to the bay and smaller thickets closer to the ground. These species likely have ways of dealing with the cold, including extra down feathers for insulation, and ways of dealing with a decrease in food supply, like altering sources of food.

Of the species I saw, the one I was most excited to see was the Wood Ducks. They were not directly in the bay, instead choosing to spend their time near the trees, swimming in the river. Nearby, there was a pair of Ring-necked Ducks swimming near the middle of the river. I saw these two species not from a trail, but from the side of the road, so while I wish I could stay and observe them longer, I did not want to be hit by a car or hold up traffic. The wood ducks likely came from somewhere in the southeastern United States, probably around North Carolina and Georgia, so they are facultative migrants that migrate due to changes in food supply or changes in temperature. Burlington, before the recent snowstorm this weekend, has been relatively warm and some trees are already starting to bud. If temperature is the reason some migrants migrated, then warmer temperatures would likely encourage them to migrate back to Vermont.

Early obligate migrants, on the other hand, likely migrate due to changes in daylight. They are more likely to migrate at the same time every year. For an obligate migrant to migrate early, they would likely face challenges in obtaining food and maintaining warmth.

The majority of the migrant species I saw wintered in the southeastern U.S., with the center area of the wintering range settled around North Carolina and Georgia. This distance is around 750 miles. Using this number, this would mean that all the species I saw migrated around 23,250 miles to make it to Vermont. While this is just an estimate, it is an extremely impressive collective distance to travel.