Field Journal 3/28/2023

On Tuesday, March 28, I visited Delta Park from 3:00-4:30pm. It was sunny, 40 degrees F, with 8mph wind from the north. The habitat was mixed forest, open water, and wetlands surrounding the point at which the Winooski River meets Lake Champlain.
As I was parking, I noticed a Bald Eagle flying overhead roughly in the direction of the lake. It was gone before I could take a photo, but the bird was huge and had unmistakable coloring. I imagine Bald Eagles like Delta Park because of the access to water where they can hunt for fish.
The next bird I saw was a Barred Owl roosting about six feet off the ground in a tree about 25 feet away from the bike path. It was definitely watching as people walked past, but it appeared unconcerned. It seemed smaller than some of the other Barred Owls I’ve seen, so maybe it was a male? The Barred Owl is an example of a bird that doesn’t migrate. Barred Owls are large, fluffy, and carnivorous, factors which probably help them survive cold winters. They can find a sheltered place to roost and fluff out their feathers to trap insulative air. Additionally, eating meat probably allows them to consume large amounts of energy efficiently.

As I walked along the bike path I could hear Red-winged Blackbirds calling “conk-la-ree” in the wetlands on either side. Red-winged Blackbirds are migratory, and I’ve just started seeing them again in Vermont. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Red-winged Blackbirds spend the winter in large flocks throughout much of the United States and parts of Central America. Vermont is not part of the winter range, so the birds I saw today could have migrated from as nearby as New York (~12 mi) to as far away as approximately Guatemala (>3,000 mi). An advantage to arriving in Vermont early in the Spring is first dibs on the best nesting locations. A disadvantage is that the average temperatures are still fairly cold, which means food sources might not yet be consistent.
I saw three American Robins and a Common Grackle foraging at the edge of the flooded forest floor, as well as a male and female Downy Woodpecker foraging in the trees along the path. I sat for a while at the main bridge, watching as three Canada geese bathed and a male Common Merganser splash-landed on the river side of the bridge. I could see two Turkey Vultures circling in the distance, possibly above some neighborhoods. The Barred Owl was still roosting when I finally walked back to my car.

הועלה ב-מרץ 29, 2023 03:34 לפנה"צ על ידי catrionagoering catrionagoering

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מרגון גדול (Mergus merganser)

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