Field Journal 4 (due March 29th)

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.

Publicado el 27 de marzo de 2023 a las 11:20 PM por sofiaisabella22