3/29/23 Field Journal: Perkins Pier Waterfront Park

11:00am-12:00pm, 3/29/2023, Perkins Pier Waterfront, Burlington, VT, sunny and windy, 42 degrees Fahrenheit, lakefront park—mainly open with some wooded areas.

Birds observed: 16 Ring-billed Gulls, 7 Herring Gulls, 4 European Starlings, 5 Common Grackle, 2 Canada Geese

For this bird-watching trip, I decided to go to a new location—the Burlington waterfront! On this trip to the lake, the weather was lovely with it being sunny with few clouds in the sky, although a bit windier the closer that I got to the lake. Today I decided to focus my attention on migration.

Today, I did not observe any birds that do not migrate which I thought was pretty interesting. But when considering other Vermont birds that are here year-round, I think of birds like Blue Jays and Northern Cardinals and their physiological/behavioral adaptations that allow them to survive here year-long. Since they don’t migrate, there has to be some sort of physiological adaptation for each species that allows them to survive the cold, harsh winter weather. These birds find dense foliage to reside in to keep warm, and they also have secure access to food year-round. Additionally, these birds have physiological functions and certain feather types that are well adapted for cold, harsh winters compared to other birds. For these reasons and others, it isn’t necessary for them to migrate like other birds in the winter.

I did, however, observe many Ring-billed and Herring Gulls. These birds migrate out of Vermont in the winter in search for warmer areas with open water so they typically head south. Now that the weather is warming up and the lake is not frozen over, they are heading back into town. I observed many of them today, but I anticipate to see many more in the upcoming weeks due to the warmer temperatures.

After migrating for winter and returning to Burlington in early April, there can be some advantages and disadvantages. Advantages would include better nesting and recovering from any nest loss as well as increased breeding success. However, early April weather in Burlington can be very unpredictable. It could be sunny and warm or it could be freezing temperatures and blizzards. You never know! So in that case, it would be a disadvantage for birds who are not acclimated to that kind of weather where it can be difficult to search for warmth, food, and shelter for survival.

הועלה ב-מרץ 29, 2023 05:40 אחה"צ על ידי