Quarantine Birding!

Since most local parks around my home are closed at this time, I decided to spend more time exploring my neighborhood in Newtown, Pennsylvania. From 5:10 pm to 7:23 pm on April 7th, 2020, I walked around my neighborhood, spending most of my time in the woods and open space that it has to offer. It was a warm evening, about 62 °F, sunny, and calm. Fortunately, my neighborhood has a nice variety of habitat including, deciduous forest, forest edge, open fields, and even a small wetland area. I was able to find fifteen species of birds with a good mix of year-round residents and migrants.
One of the most common year-round residents I observed was the American Robin. This time of year, they spend a lot of time in open fields feeding on worms and other invertebrates in the soil. However, in the winter, the soil becomes firm and is regularly covered in snow. To cope with these feeding difficulties, they switch to primarily feeding on fruit, commonly found on ornamental trees in developed areas. Additionally, they often feed in large flocks, sometimes mixed with other species. This allows them to feed more efficiently. Since there are enough resources for them here year-round, most of them save energy by not migrating.
Another common year-round resident I observed was the Blue Jay. Blue Jays have a reputation for being bullies. They change the gradation of their crest to signal to other birds how they’re feeling. This agonistic behavior can be beneficial to their survival when resources are scarce. Additionally, Blue Jays cache food in different places so that they can have a stock during the colder months when food is harder to find.
In addition to the resident birds I saw, I also saw multiple migratory species that just recently arrived. Flying over an open field, I saw my first Tree Swallow of the year. This bird likely made the journey up from Florida. It will likely stay here for the rest of the summer before heading back down south. As the temperatures rise, so do the number of insects. This is a great resource for Tree Swallows and is likely a large reason for their migration. However, once it gets colder again and the insect die, the Tree Swallows must migrate back down south.
I saw five migratory species while I was out, three of which just recently arrived from the south, and two are soon to move north. I have put all of the migratory mileage of those coming from the south into a table below, showing just how far these birds have traveled.
Species Distance Traveled (Miles)
Tree Swallow 850
Red-winged Blackbird 250 *
Chipping Sparrow 430
Total 1530
*Short-distance migrant. Just an estimate of migration distance

Posted on April 8, 2020 11:58 PM by phil_stoll