Bird Walk Centennial Woods (3/7/2021)

-3/7/2021
-9:30 AM - 10:45 AM EST
-Centennial Woods Trails
-Clear day, Light wind, 19 degrees Fahrenheit
-Woods made up of many Red Pines, Norway Spruce, Red Maples, Paper Birch, and American beech
-Before walking into the woods we saw the Robins at some Flowing Crabapples.

This bird walk meandered through Centennial Woods. On this chilly 19 degree morning I spent time observing what methods birds were using in order to survive these harsh conditions.
The Vermont Winter drives many bird species to migrate south to warmer temperatures. The combination of intense cold and lack of food sources makes it difficult for many species to remain. Those that do are often able to survive by having an ecological niche. During warmer times of the year many birds thrive by eating insects, however most of these insects are not available during winter because there are no leaves to eat. The remaining birds have to find other sources of food. During my walk I observed several species making use of the remaining fruit of a flowering crabapple. This tree is important to many species as it holds fruit much later than other species. I also saw several Downy Woodpeckers demonstrating feeding behavior. By making use of their adaptations they can burrow into the wood of trees to harvest insects that other bird species would struggle to obtain. Lastly, another food source that seemed to be very popular was bird feeders in nearby yards. Several chickadees were using a seed feeder. They would land on it, get a seed, flit away, and then quickly return. This behavior likely means that they are stashing this food away in either a snag or some other protected cranny. Many birds have behaviors like this because it helps them have back up food during a time when food can be hard to find. I also observed a downy woodpecker using a feeder with sugar water in it. This is very helpful as a food source because it is high in glucose and can help the birds make fat.
The other Winter condition that birds must survive is the low temperatures. Several of the birds that I got to see closer up had fluffed themselves to seemingly impossible sizes. They do this in order to increase their insulation and keep warm. When they aren't resting and trying to warm themselves they sporadically feed and gather food for later. Breeding is not common right now. In order to keep warm and sleep safely at night many birds make use of the cavities in trees, most of which are created by woodpeckers. These cavities are ordinarily made in upright dead trees called snags and can help birds survive cold winter nights. I saw 7 snags on my walk, many of which seemed to have higher levels of bird activity around them, but nothing actually came out when I tapped on the trees. However, I expect that most if not all of them would be occupied by that night. And since most birds are not mating right now they might even share the space with other birds and species. Black-capped Chickadees and White-breasted Nuthatches commonly share cavities together in order to stay warm. However, sometimes these cavities are not available, so birds must make their own. One example is the belted kingfisher which will dive into mudbanks with its beak until it has made a large enough hole for it to sleep in.

Publicado el 08 de marzo de 2021 a las 08:24 PM por ben__simms