Parks Have Reopened!

Just recently, the local parks in Bucks County, Pennsylvania were reopened. To take advantage of this, on Wednesday, April 22, 2020, I went to Nockamixon State Park from 3:40 pm to 6:00 pm. Although Nockamixon offers a wide variety of habitats, I decided to hike a trail that is surrounded by hardwood forest. It was a calm, sunny afternoon with temperatures around 52°F. Although I didn’t see as many migrants as I had hoped to, it was still a beautiful day to be outside.
As I neared the top of the small “mountain” that the trail loops around, I watched a male Red-bellied Woodpecker chasing after a female. This male Red-bellied Woodpecker seemed to have a great territory. It was at a spot near the top of the mountain with a good view all around which would help him to spot predators. Additionally, there were many snags in this area. I imagine that food is relatively abundant in this area with so many snags, of which I saw bugs on many of. Most of these snags either hold large holes carved by Pileated Woodpeckers or natural cavities. These would make an ideal home for a Red-bellied Woodpecker. Since this specific male Red-bellied Woodpecker was in such a good spot and had the time and energy to sing and chase around a female, I imagine that his fitness is quite high. This bird is likely very good at finding food, and it seemed like there was no shortage of it in this spot. This allows him to expend a lot of energy on attracting females and defending his territory.
Another species of bird that I got to watch for an extended period of time while out was the American Robin. American Robins have very different nesting requirements than Red-bellied Woodpeckers. Since these birds aren’t cavity nesters like the Red-bellied Woodpecker, they will likely be spending a lot of time and energy building nests. Luckily, there is no shortage of small twigs lying on the ground where I was! They would likely use those along with some mud that could be found directly on the trail after a rain to weave a strong nest. However, I imagine that Robins would prefer to nest closer to the edge of the forest rather than deep within it. An old logging road that runs along the beginning of the hiking trail may make a perfect spot for one to put its nest.
Although the bird activity seemed to be somewhat slow for such a beautiful spring day, it was a great day to get outside, and I am excited for the bulk of migration to be coming very soon!

Posted on April 23, 2020 03:38 AM by phil_stoll