Diario de sofiaisabella22

Time: 10am-11:30
Date: 5/2/2023
Location: Centennial / Campus
Weather: Rainy / drizzly and sunny
Habitat: woodland area and also campus (sidewalks, minimal trees, etc.)

American Crows can be found in a variety of habitats. Agricultural and grassland areas are the best habitat for crows as these types of areas heavily increase their ability to forage for food. American Crows also use nearby force edges for breeding and roosting Tufted Titmice on the other hand live in deciduous forests or mixed evergreen deciduous forests. Tufted Titmice typically prefer areas with dense canopies that have a variety of tree species. They can also be found in orchard parks and suburban areas. These areas are best suited for Tufted Titmice as their diets are mostly composed of insects and seeds of which are incredibly abundant in these types of forests. One Tufted Titmouse that I located was defending a prime territory. While I did not see the titmouse, it could be identified via its song. Since it was defending a prime territory this would indicate that that particular bird had high fitness. Chickadees use a variety of nesting materials. They often start breeding during the spring season and will typically make their nests in a wooded area specifically in a hole of a tree or limb. Chickadees enjoy soft materials such as mosses or rabbit fur. Chickadees are able to locate these materials in the forests that they typically live in.

Field Journal 5 (Due March 17th)
Date: 4/14/2023
Start: 11:30 am
End: 1:00 pm
Location: Long walk through Burlington, down to Church Street and Waterfront
Weather: high 70s-80s,
Habitat: Varied area; neighborhoods with lots of trees and bushes to sidewalks.
iNaturalist Observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/154991317
INaturalist Journal Post:

Birds Spotted: Cedar Waxwings (2), (4), Chickadees (4+) American Robins (2+), House Sparrows (4), Northern Cardinal (1?), Ring-billed Gull (2)

Field Journal Four:
Date: 3/12/2023
Start: 10 pm
End: 12:30 pm
Location: Long walk through Burlington, down to North Beach
Weather: mid-30s,
Habitat: Varied area; neighborhoods with lots of trees and bushes to side walks.
iNaturalist Observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152561661
INaturalist Journal Post:

Birds Spotted: Cedar Waxwings, (1), Chickadees, American Robins (10+), Ring-billed Gulls (10+)

These past couple of weeks, one of the main year-round resident species that I observed was chickadees. Adult chickadees do not migrate. In years when chickadee reproduction is high, the young birds sometimes move larger distances but this is not typical behavior. Chickadees don’t need to migrate as they have adaptations that allow them to live in cold places during the winter. For example, chickadees induce something that is called regulated hypothermia which allows the bird to lower its normal body temperature to conserve energy. This is where they use that 10% extra body weight. In addition, chickadees are insulated due to a half-inch coat of feathers that allows them to maintain their body temperature at 100°F during daylight hours even when the air is at 0°.

One of the birds that migrate during the winter are American robins. These past couple of weeks, I’ve seen a substantial amount of robins in the trees by my dorm on campus and saw them during my birding outing. I was first able to identify them by sound and located several flying among the trees around my dorm as I headed out for my birding walk. Usually, there is a great deal of individual variation on how far robins migrate and where they spend their winter. Generally, heavy snowfall causes them to search for better conditions, with robins forming flocks during the wintertime to keep warm. Some robins even migrate as far south as the southwest, Mexico, and the gulf coast during winter time. The reason robins migrate is not necessarily because of temperature but rather, a response to food. I have noticed robins coming back to Burlington when the weather is reaching around the mid-30s which is pretty common as that is when robins typically begin to arrive as this because their food becomes available. Robins eat mealworms, insects, and berries which makes sense that they come in warmer temperatures as that food is more readily available for them.

Date: 3/04/2023
Start: 11 pm
End: 1:30 pm
Location: Central Park, NYC
Weather: mid-40s, partly cloudy day
Habitat: Park with many trees, ponds, open and manicured grass, shrubs, surrounded by a city
iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/151613651

11: Right at the opening I saw a group of Mallards (8-10) in the pond. Mix of male and females
11-1:30: Northern Cardinal (audible call), House Sparrows (8+ throughout the park), Dark-eyed Junco (1), Rock Pigeons (50+) and European Starling (1)

Prompt: March 20th FJ4 - Field Observation: Social Behavior and Phenology

How (specifically) are your birds interacting? What audio and/or visual cues do these birds employ to communicate, and what are they trying to “say?” Compare and contrast the plumage of two or more species you observe, considering the evolutionary advantages to the colors and/or patterns that the birds exhibit. Focusing on an individual bird, discuss what it was doing (foraging, resting, etc.), and how that behavior fits in the context of its circadian and/or circannual rhythm.

One of the main ways that the pigeons were interacting was via movement. In the city, a lot of pigeons were grouped together, spending a lot of time on the sidewalk. Due to them being on the sidewalk, any time they were disrupted whether that be by people, cars, or, most often, loud noises, they would quickly fly up altogether and land on windowsills or other areas where they could perch. I think a lot of this was a way for them to all protect themselves against danger. A quick movement by one pigeon was quickly reflected by the rest of the group, showing that pigeons do not always need to communicate verbally. I was also able to identify a Northern Cardinal by the sound. I never saw the cardinal but I did hear its song/call. These calls allow them to communicate with each other, especially over large distances, as Central Park is a pretty big area. A northern cardinal makes calls that warn off intruders, alerts when predators are near, and is used when they carry food to the nest.

Two birds that I saw that I can compare plumages were the European Starling and a Pigeon. I originally just saw the pigeon but when I later looked back on the photo, I realized that you could also see a European Starling. European Starlings are brown in the winter and covered with white spots. In the summer, they have a more greenish-purplish iridescent color to them with yellow beaks. Evolution-wise, the purplish-greenish iridescent color is great for breeding as it helps attract mates. Whereas on the other hand, having a little bit of a more brown and dull look in the winter allows them to blend into their surroundings more. Pigeons have a little bit more variety in color but they are generally a bluish-gray color and have two black bands on their wing and a black tip on their tail. Most pigeons have iridescent throat feathers and wing patterns can include dark spots, black bars, or be plain. Overall though, checker and t-checked plumage is most common in feral populations, suggesting an adaptive advantage for these plumage patterns in cities. This type of pattern allows them to blend in with their surroundings more.

While I was walking in Central Park, I saw a lot of House Sparrows. There were a lot of areas with little bushes and other foliage and often in the leaves, I could see one or two House Sparrows. You could also hear their little tweets when you walked by. While it looked like the House Sparrows were kind of hiding away in the foliage, every once in a while, they would pop out and grab food off of the sidewalk. This was a good example of foraging in an area that was pretty busy. The sparrows were able to have their own little hiding spot but also be able to gather food. Outside of Central Park, I also saw them a lot on the sidewalks with pigeons.