Diario de tmaronadk

Thomas Maron
WFB 130
Field Journal 4
4/7/20

Field Journal 4
This field observation took place in my hometown of Westport, NY in the Adirondack Park. I left my house in the early evening around 4 o clock and took an hour and a half walk that took me through a variety of habitats from backyards and small fields to lake shoreline and mixed forest. The weather was mostly cloudy with temperatures in the mid 50s.
My observation started with sightings of several species as I walked through my backyard on my way to the lake. Here I heard Black-capped Chickedees call and saw several Robins flitting around on the ground and into nearby Buckthorn. As I moved through my neighborhood I saw several American Crows flying high in the sky and as I got closer to the lake saw a Blue Jay in a small Maple tree calling its distinctive call. When I got to the local park I stopped at a hill overlooking a small marsh, the mouth of a brook and Lake Champlain. It was here that the bird activity really picked up as I saw upwards of 40 or 50 Grackles flocking. They flew from nearby trees down into the marshy area, congregating in the small foliage there. I stopped and watched them as more and more joined the flock, but then decided to walk along the lake shore to see what other species were along the shore. On the docks of the town marina was a flock of Herring Gulls, most of whom were engaged in heat-saving behavior with their bills tucked under a wing. I stopped and trained my binoculars on this flock for five or so minutes trying to spot any other species that might be hidden among them, but also just observing their gull antics. Deciding to move on I walked down onto another beach and then back towards the park I had been at and it was during this that I had my most exciting observations. First, was a lone Osprey flying high above the lake. It circled for several minutes before flying off across the bay towards the other shoreline. Soon after this sighting, I noticed a pair of birds in the lake I didn’t recognize which I determined to be a male and female pair of Buffleheads, migrating back towards their breeding grounds in Canada. As I followed them, I noticed more Buffleheads, about 8 in total and watched a male chase another male away from the small flock that had congregated in the water. At this point I was down near the outlet of the brook in the small marshy area and observed a pair of Common Loons several hundred feet from the shore and heard several Red-Winged Blackbirds calling from across the brook. I then turned away from the lake and followed the brook up through a small mixed forest in a valley that winds through the middle of town, towards the end of the trail I looked up to see 10 Turkey Vultures in the upper branches of a dead conifer. When they noticed me the swiftly flapped off, circling the area as I departed.
Two of the species that I observed that forego long migration, the Black-capped Chickadee and the Blue Jay, do so because the energy expenditure of doing outweighs what loss of food they see as a result of season change. This is a result of their generalist diet and ability to cache and store food for the winter. Additionally, the adoption of behavior that reduces heat-loss during winter, such as puffing their feathers or sticking their bill in their wing combined with the lack of significant apteria makes these species adapted to deal with the cold temperatures. The Buffleheads I observed were most likely on their migration track back to their breeding grounds in Canada from their wintering grounds on the coast, or in Appalachia or the Southeast. They’re returning to their breeding grounds as the lakes and ponds unfreeze in Canada and the temperatures warm too much in the South. Similarly, the Osprey has returned from its Central American wintering grounds to take advantage of the unfrozen lake and associated increase in food and favorable breeding conditions and escape the more competitive tropical areas.

Bufflehead travel distance: 400 km
Osprey travel distance: 3480 km
Common Loon travel distance: 429 km
Turkey Vulture travel distance: 376 km
Total: 4685 km!

Time: 1:30 pm
Date: 4/13/20
Location: Westport, NY
Weather: Partly Sunny and Mid-40s
Habitat: Backyards, small fields, lakeshore and adjoining small marsh, forested town park

Thomas Maron
4/21/20
WFB 130
Field Journal 7

This field observation took place on April 21, 2020 in Westport, NY. The weather a balmy 49 degrees with the spring sun providing some much-needed warmth to what has been a cold spring in the North Country. Similar to my last two field observations, this journal took me from my backyard into a forested park that runs through the center of town and is focused around a small valley through with Hoisington Brook flows. As I moved through this natural area I heard several Chickadees and aw Robins and a multitude of Grackles. As I came into a large open area at the end of the park I stopped to watch a pair of rock pigeons build a nest under a large overhang on the side of a decrepit building. Leaving the park to walk along the lakeshore I saw another pair of Buffleheads swimming about 50 yards from shore. Through my binoculars I watched them as they repeatedly disappeared beneath the surface of the water, presumable diving for food. I continued along the shore for another quarter mile seeing several more Grackles high in large White Pines. Then, I spotted another head bobbing amidst the waves of the lake. At first, I thought it was a Double-crested Cormorant, but upon closer inspection it turned out to be a Common Loon! I sat down and watched him as he repeatedly disappeared beneath the waves for minutes at a time to feed. Moving on back through the center of my town I saw two male Cardinals, both high in opposing maple trees calling back and forth and really making quite a racket. The final bird I saw in my observation was in my front yard, a female Downy Woodpecker, making her way up and down a rotting branch intent on finding her next meal.
I saw several birds displaying behaviors related to territory selection and nest selection. The Rock Pigeon pair I observed were in the process of building a nest under the overhang of a building as I watched one of the individuals return to the beam they were roosted on with a sizable twig in its beak. The materials it might be using to build its nest would range from larger twigs to grass and to eventually droppings that solidify the nest as the pigeon fails to remove them. These materials are plentiful in the Pigeon’s habitat and given its proximity to humans most likely also includes softer man-made materials as lining. In terms of nest location, the nesting area of the Pigeon differs from the area in which some of the Robins I saw might be nesting as they would be more likely to take up a nest in the denser coniferous tree stands around my house. This highlights how habitat requirements differ from species to species as while the Rock Pigeon prefers the safety that a building offers and the foraging opportunities of towns, Robins are attracted to denser trees and the variety of feeding options that more wooded areas provide. The bird I observed that was likely defending its territory was one of the Northern Cardinals who was raucously singing in a large maple. This maple was close by other lower denser shrubs and bordered a small un-mowed field, both of which would provide ample quality feeding and nesting opportunities for this individual. Given the quality of the surrounding habitat, this individual was likely of higher fitness.

Mini Activity in Blue Jay Observation

Time: 1:30
Date: 4/29/20
Location: Bobcat Trail, Whallonsburg, NY
Habitat: Open field with small shrubs, transitioning to woodlands and small marsh
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 65 degrees and slight wind.