Diario de mia0507

Date - March 5, 2021
Start time - 9:00am
End time - 10:30am
Location - Technology Park, South Burlington
Weather - 25 degrees Fahrenheit, sunny with some cloud coverage, little to no wind, no precipitation
Habitat(s) - Mainly found in the crabapple trees, also in birch and pines. These trees are scattered decoratively around office buildings.

The species I intended to observe for this week's field journal was the big flock of Bohemian Waxwings that flew into Technology Park! These birds love the ornamental crabapple trees scattered all around Tech Park, so it was no shock to see them eating here during their interesting southeast migration. These birds spend their time eating and searching for food, but they tend to do so on the tops of trees. Although it is still winter, the sun has begun to come out and there have been warmer days. This is a way they are able to retain body heat, by allowing the sun and to heat their skin and trapping pockets of warmer air around their bodies.
These birds were budgeting their time by eating. I have gone to see them twice since my initial visit on the 5th, and every time they have been gorging on berries. They can be seen spending their time close by or with the American Robins and Pine Grosbeaks in the park also eating the berries/ berry seeds. I also observed these Bohemian Waxwings eating berries on the ground, which have been fermenting. This causes them to become drunk! You can tell which birds have consumed the fermented berries, as the drunk birds would fly much closer to me and seemed to care much less about my presence.
Their diets differ by season, as during the spring/summer they are able to divide their diet between bugs and berries. However, in the winter they are only able to feed on berries. This is why Tech Park is so useful for these birds, as the abundance of ornamental crabapples offer them a surplus of food. I believe that these birds would want to sleep in a thicker wooded area of Tech Park at night, out of open area to have more protection from harsh weather conditions and perhaps predators.

Mini Activity:
Q: Why are snags important, and what species are most likely to utilize them?
Snags are very valuable, as they offer many species of birds and other animals protection, an area for food storage, and nesting areas. Different bird species can utilize snags depending on their size. Larger species, like hawks and owls, can use them for hunting perches. Birds such as Tree Swallows and Great Horned Owls are likely to use snags as they are cavity nesters.

Date - March 13, 2021
Start time - 5:28pm
End time - 6:53pm
Location - Kikas Valley Farm, Jericho, VT
Weather - 32 degrees F, little to no wind, no precipitation.
Habitat(s) - Mixture of agricultural field and shrubby swamp area.

My group arrived at the farm around 5:30, and was immediately greeted by the most glorious sign of spring, Red-winged Blackbirds singing! After spotting some Grackles, and watching Wood Ducks fly over, we walked through the muddy out-of-season broccoli field and into a shrubby swamp area. We chatted for a little while the sun was setting, and waited to hear our first sign of what we came for: an American Woodcock. The American Woodcock is a goofy bird, with a goofier call. Their most notable noise is the "PEENT".

My group was chatting, when we suddenly saw two silhouettes appear overhead. There were two American Woodcocks chasing each other. This interaction was due to the Woodcock being an extremely territorial species, and now is the time they are establishing their territory. The birds swooped over our heads, as we saw one Woodcock chase the other to a space to the left of where we were positioned. After this interaction, we heard their communication through peenting.

Peenting is a courtship display that American Woodcocks do along with evening flight displays. In the audio attached, the American Woodcock is heard peenting for about 30 seconds before stopping and flying in an intricate pattern. They then essentially dive bomb back to the ground where they repeat the process, until it gets too dark for them to continue. This behavior fits into the American Woodcock's circannual rhythm, as it is nearing time for the species' breeding season and is trying to find a mate.

Two plumages I saw were the Wood Duck and an American Woodcock. The Wood Duck has a flashy, bright plumage made for attracting a mate. On the other hand, the American Woodcock has a dull, earthy plumage made for stealth and blending in to their surroundings. The American Woodcock commonly is found is open area with woody vegetation, and forest edges. This makes them potential prey. It makes sense for these birds to have a earthy plumage, to easily blend in with scrubby vegetation and not stick out to predators. On the other hand, Wood Ducks are obviously found on bodies of water. To not stick out a lot to predators, the Wood Ducks' plumage dulls out when not trying to attract a mate. However, in breeding season their plumage becomes flashy and saturated to attract mates.