UVM Ornithology Journal Post 1

Date: 02/09/2024
Start time: 13:40
End time: 14:43
Location: Centennial Woods
Weather: sunny, windy (Beaufort scale 4-5) with wind picking up to a 5 around 14:24. About 50 degrees F
Habitat: Forest edge near Centennial Brook looking onto wetland area. Marshy area next to medium-age pine forest next to a high human-traffic zone of Centennial. Forest composition was mostly eastern white pine. No snow on the ground but the brook was somewhat frozen.

I spent some time watching a few tufted titmice flit about from branch to branch in the trees on the edge of a wetland. They darted about with quick movements and fluttery wings- not as fast as chickadees, but still rather fast. They have a rather rounded wing shape, more resembling an elliptical shape than any other type we have learned, but a bit rounder. This would give them their sharp flying ability and the short bursts of speed that they use to zip about from branch to branch. Tufted titmice eat mainly insects and seeds, which would explain their speed and agility- they search for bugs and seeds in little crevices, making their way swiftly from tree to tree. I find it somewhat easy to tell a titmouse from a distance- they always seem a bit nervous in their movements, like they are always being chased by something. In flight, as stated, they look a bit like a slower chickadee, and I often see them dipping, flapping, dipping again as they fly.

הועלה ב-מרץ 6, 2024 04:13 לפנה"צ על ידי laureno1