Journal #4

On April 8th, I went to Centennial Woods at around noon. It was overcast and in the mid 30's. Due to the cold, I was worried about low bird activity, but I was pleasantly surprised. As I approached the entrance to the woods, I found a flock of 8 American Robins foraging. A little ways down the trail, I found a small flock of Dark-eyed Juncos. From the entry I could hear many different kinds of birds calling and singing. Down by Centennial Brook, I found several Black-capped Chickadees flying in and out of the trees, and even more were around further down the trail. In a hemlock stand I encountered 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches. They were staying relatively close to the trail so I decide to play some calls from my phone. They immediately flew closer and perched on a tree right above me. One of them even started to call back to the phone.

On the way out of the woods, I stopped in one spot when I heard a woodpecker drumming. I looked around a spotted a Hairy Woodpecker at the base of a tree. I then looked up and spotted another Hairy Woodpecker on a tree farther back and a Downy Woodpecker on a branch between the other two. It was incredible to see three woodpeckers all within 10 feet of each other. At this spot I also heard a call I didn't recognize and went off the path a bit to try and spot the source. Up in a tangle of dead branches I spotted a lone American Goldfinch calling. In this area I also heard pairs of Northern Cardinal and Blue Jay calling back and forth.

All of the birds I observed were resident species, which I expected given the weather conditions. These birds have adapted to utilize food sources that are available year-round and are therefore able to survive the harsh winters. Many of these birds also appear to have dense plumage that would provide insulation and allow them to withstand the cold. Species that are migrating back now probably specialize in resources such as fruit that only become available as the weather warms up. This season may provide a challenge for them as it is still snowing and cold, meaning that their warm-weather resources will be unavailable for some time.

The only species I observed on this trip that migrates to some degree is the American Robin. From what I found, some individuals will move to areas with more resources but some also will stay in Vermont.

Posted on April 9, 2018 02:10 AM by