aschwarz57's Journal

Date: 2/7/2024
Start Time: 14:02
End Time: 15:21
Location: Centennial Woods Natural Area
Weather: about 35 degrees Fahrenheit, fairly sunny, not overly windy
Habitat(s):
The area that I surveyed was primarily coniferous (with lots of Eastern White pines), although I did walk through a few hardwood and mixed stands, as well. I observed the majority of 2 Tufted Titmice, 2 Black-capped Chickadees, and a White-breasted Nuthatch in the same general area (the area was approximately the size of a circle with a diameter of 25 meters). In the more mixed stand, I observed three different Hairy Woodpeckers, 3 more Black-capped Chickadees, and another Tufted Titmouse. This is also where I observed the bird that I was unable to ID. I also heard what I believe was the call of a Downy Woodpecker and a Red-breasted Nuthatch (although I could have just confused it with that of a White-breasted one), and possibly a Pine Siskin as well, although I am not very familiar with that call so I am not very confident on that observation. Additionally, I did see what I believe to be a Brown Creeper, but I was unfortunately unable to get a sound recording or photo of it. I did notice (after looking through my photos) that while this area was most definitely a mixed stand, a lot of my photos were taken of birds on Eastern White pines or standing deadwood (assuming my tree ID is correct), which I thought was interesting. While walking through Centennial Woods, I also spotted two American Crows (and heard many more) but I did not get a good enough photo of them to log it as an observation.

Overall, I really enjoyed my hour and change that I spent in Centennial Woods this past week. Besides the few times where I almost slipped on the extremely icy paths (and the paranoia of breaking my camera if I were to slip), I had a really great time observing the wildlife of the area. I did notice that it seemed a lot easier for me to hear, catch sight of, and identify the birds than previous adventures I have had in Centennial Woods, although this could just be because I was more focused on birds and actively searching them out.

While on my walk, I also climbed a little ways up into a tree and sat there for a while, attempting to take better photos of some Black-capped Chickadees. While I was not able to do this successfully, I did have a really fun time watching a group of three of these fascinating birds interacting with each other. These birds seemed to flap their wings quite frequently as they left their perch on a branch, twirled around for a moment, and then found their way back to their perch), and were making lots of noise, although this could be because they were in a group. This contrasted significantly with my observations of the Hairy Woodpeckers I saw. Whenever these birds choose to switch to another piece of standing deadwood (likely because I got too close to them) they flapped their wings far fewer times, and were definitely less chatty. But, once again, these were singular Hairy Woodpeckers and a group of Black-capped Chickadees.

Another moment that stuck out during my birding adventure was that the Hairy Woodpeckers let me get surprisingly close to them. During this time, I also snagged some photos of an Eastern Gray Squirrel (that refused to turn around and let me get a photo of its face no matter how hard I tried) and an American Red Squirrel, which I do not believe I had ever actually seen in person before!

Date: 2/17/2024
Start Time: 13:54
End time: 15:57
Location: Rock Point
Weather: Partially sunny, slightly windy, about 27 degrees Fahrenheit
Habitat(s):
During my time at Rock Point, I found myself walking through a variety of different habitats. The most noticeable of these (and the one where I found myself capturing photos of and hearing the most birds) was that of the Northern White Cedars found at the top of Rock Point. These trees are significantly shorter than other trees in the area due to the harsh winds, and this makes it a lot easier to see and take photos of the birds. However, it is pretty noisy due to the wind, so it was harder to hear the birds than it would be in other circumstances. While on top of the main Rock Point lookout area, I saw 5 Black-capped Chickadees, a Downy Woodpecker, and a White-breasted Nuthatch. In a similarly forested area, I saw a group of 5 American Robins (that I could successfully count), although they were unfortunately moving around too much and in too challenging of a spot for me to be able to get a photo of them without going off trail. Additionally, I also saw 3 other Black-capped Chickadees, 2 American Crows, and a Blue Jay in other, more varied areas as I was walking around. Right as I was about to get in the car, I also saw a bird flying overhead that I believe to be some species of hawk. However, I am not overly confident in this identification, as I do not know much about identifying hawks and also do not have sufficient experience doing so.

Unfortunately, the area that I did this survey in did not have as many snags as an area like Centennial Woods would, likely due to how short the trees are on top of Rock Point and also that the strong winds are likely to displace any snags rather quickly. However, I did notice that the areas that did have more/larger cavities also tended to be where I observed or heard the most birds.

Snags serve lots of uses to a variety of species. Obviously, the first species that comes to mind is woodpeckers, whether it be a Pileated Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker (that I saw on this walk), Hairy Woodpecker, or a Northern Flicker, to name just a few, because these are the species that are actually creating the cavities. Other creatures such as the Eastern Bluebird, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-breasted Nuthatch, European Starling, House Sparrow, Brown Creeper, and various squirrels and owls are secondary cavity nesters.

A lot of bird species change their lifestyles during the winter. For example, American Robins change their diet from primarily protein-rich invertebrates such as earthworms and insects to fruits and berries such as junipers and hollies that are rich in vitamins. Additionally, American Robins (which are fiercely territorial in the warmer seasons) become much more nomadic. Many species have similar adaptations, as well.

Overall, my birding walk at Rock Point was a great experience, although I didn’t observe quite as many birds as I did during my Centennial Walk. However, the geology was significantly cooler, there were lots of icicles in very strange places, and there were some absolutely beautiful views!