היומן של oharrington

Date- April 9th, 2024
Start time- 10:35 am
End time- 11:15 am
Location- Various neighborhoods throughout the Old North End, Burlington VT
Weather- ~57° F, little wind, sunny, no precipitation, minimal clouds
Habitats- Urban habitat and suburban backyards- sparse oak trees, Virginia creeper, staghorn sumac, honeylocust; cement pathways, roadways, some grass space in backyards (hotspots for birds)

Date-April 21st, 2024
Start time- 8:20 am
End time- 9:30 am
Location- Salmon Hole on the Winooski River, Burlington VT
Weather- ~57° F, little wind, no precipitation- sunny, minimal clouds
Habitats- Riparian habitat (eastern cottonwood, silver maple, some evergreens such as eastern white pine, American basswood), some mixed hardwood areas, riverine habitat, sandy island in the middle of the Winooski; some noise pollution from sewage plant

I returned to Salmon Hole for this field journal, as I wanted to see how the species present were shifting with the seasonal change; I heard many more bird songs in general, particularly from Song Sparrows and Red-winged Blackbirds. I also saw several Canada Geese, Common Mergansers, a Double-crested Cormorant, a Carolina Wren, and a Northern Flicker, most of which I didn't see (or only saw once) during my last visit. Waterfowl were generally more abundant during this visit. The Mergansers seemed to be corralling around the island; I saw one pair on the eastern end, and a male followed by a couple of females near the western end. Considering that (to my understanding) they nest in large cavities, or occasionally on the ground near water, I assumed their nests were close by. Some snags on the island could've been where the nest is located, or it was possibly somewhere along the river, but in the near vicinity. Merganser chicks would be situated closer to the water, which would be advantageous after hatching and likely reduce mortality. These habitat requirements (i.e., nesting, breeding, reproducing, etc.) differ on a species level; species such as the Northern Cardinal nest in dense shrubs because the vegetation cover protects their young.

The Northern Flicker I identified was making quite the racket up in the canopy, which led me to assume it was defending its territory. I heard a couple of Downy Woodpeckers nearby, which may have contributed to the agitation up in the trees between them and the Flicker. Salmon Hole contains several characteristics that I'd expect to find in Northern Flicker habitat, so the bird likely had a higher fitness because it was defending its prime habitat (forest edges, urban-adjacent, wooded areas). Focusing on the Song Sparrow and its nest-building habits, the species uses twigs, grass, animal hair, and bark, so it would retrieve these materials from the general habitat around Salmon Hole on the ground.

Date- April 29th, 2024
Start time- 11:20
End time- 12:35
Location- Centennial Woods, Burlington VT
Weather- ~49° F, light wind, no precipitation- overcast
Habitats- Coniferous forest, mixed forest, edge habitat, wetland habitat, stream; secondary succession-- birds were largely identified by sound