Ornithology Field Journal 3/25/2024

Date: 3/25/2024
Start Time: 11:00
End Time: 12:00
Location: Bike trail off Queen City Park Road by the Humane Society of Chittenden County
Weather: about 48 degrees Fahrenheit, partially cloudy, not windy
Habitat:
For the majority of this walk I was on a paved bike path, and for the rest I was beside a road. Because of this, there wasn't that much nature, but was I did notice there was mostly deciduous trees. There was very little undergrowth. I also noted that there was a signficiant amount of staghorn sumac.

I unfortunately had to do this birding walk a little spontaneously, as I didn't have much time to do so, and because of that I didn't have my camera with me. Additionally, I was walking a dog, which isn't very conducive to going unnoticed (or at least being ignored) by the birds, and also made taking sound recordings very challenging. So, I unfortunately don't have many iNaturalist observations to link to this field journal.

While on my walk, I heard saw a Mourning Dove, 2 House Sparrows, 2 Red-winged Blackbirds (I believe), 1 Northern Cardinal, 1 American Crow, 4 Canada Geese, and lots of American Robins. I also believe I heard a European Starling. This list includes lots of year-round resident species (such as House Sparrows and Northern Cardinals) as well as facultative migrants like Red-winged Blackbirds and Canada Geese.

As a year-round resident of Vermont, Northern Cardinals have several behavioral and physiological adaptations that allow them to forego migration. One of the most obvious reasons for why Northern Cardinals don't migrate lies in food availability; while other species have to "follow the food", so to speak, Northern Cardinals are still able to find food in the winter. As ground foragers, their diet doesn't change much throughout the season as, while food may be a little more challenging to find, their normal diet of seeds, fruits, and insects is (mostly) still available. And, whenever they are struggling to find food, they can just head on over to a bird feeder. Northern Cardinals also puff up their feathers, flock together, and shiver to keep warm and save energy. Also, on especially cold nights they can drop their core body temperature to conserve energy.

On the other hand, Red-winged Blackbirds are facultative migrants that come to Vermont during the breeding season. Their year-round range actually includes the vast majority of the United States, and Vermont is one of few states that Red-winged Blackbirds aren't found in during the winter. Like most migrants, one of the main reasons these birds migrate is food availability. Unlike Northern Cardinals, this species has a harder time finding food in the winter in Vermont, and opts not to stay and try. Once food becomes more readily available, the birds head back up to Vermont, where there's plenty of food (and suitable nesting habitat) to raise their young come spring. One cool thing about Red-winged Blackbird migration is that they travel in gender-specific flocks, with females leaving about a month earlier than males in the fall, and vice versa in the spring. It's important to note that not all Red-winged Blackbirds migrate - there are plenty that live in warmer areas year round.

After doing a little bit of research (and math), I found several sources determining that, on average, Red-winged Blackbirds migrating from New England travel, on average, 500 miles. However, the females regularly travel farther than the males, so they probably travel closer to 650-700 miles. Popular winter destinations for this species include Mexico, Florida, South Carolina, and other Southeastern U.S. states. Canada Geese generally travel much farther during migration. Interestingly enough, those with the northern-most range also tend to travel the farthest south. During migration, they average around 1,000-1,500 miles per day,

Posted on 26 March, 2024 02:10 by aschwarz57