gabbydowds dagbok

• Date – 2/3/24
• Start time – 8:30
• End time – 10:20
• Location – Causeway Park
• Weather (temperature, wind speed/direction, precipitation) – 30 F, Wind 6+ mph from the west. No precipitation, overcast with some sun.
• Habitat(s) – Lake Champlain, pine forests and beech-birch stands, suburban.

I went out with my friend for a birding walk on the Causeway in Colchester, VT. We were on the hunt for a snowy owl but sadly didn’t see one. We did, however, see a ton of Goldeneye. It’s pretty easy to identify a Goldeneye due to their contrasting feathers and that beautiful iris, but even if you can’t do that, you can at least tell that they’re waterfowl. It’s flight pattern is straight on once it’s in the air, with consistent wing flaps and no fluctuation in height or speed. They can take off and land without much of a runway, but still might require more than a Mallard due to them being diving ducks.
On our travels we also saw and heard several Black-capped chickadees. I am aware that Chickadees and Goldeneye are very different birds in every sense of the word, but I think they’re a cool example of different wings. Goldeneye wings are built for speed, they’re pretty long with long primaries, while also being fairly narrow. Chickadees, on the other hand, have more elliptical wings. They’re designed for weaving through branches and little bursts as compared to long distances. Chickadees also tend to fly in short flapping bursts, then dipping. This creates a wavy pattern in their flight which is super fun to watch.
The weather definitely influenced what we saw. It was kind of nasty and windy out, so we didn’t see too many songbirds. But ducks don’t care so we saw a lot of them. To see more songbirds I would have gone on a sunnier, less windy day. I don’t think the time of day really affected it because we were up pretty early (sunrise at 7ish). I would also stay in the forest longer to see more songbirds.

Date - 2/23/24
Start time - 2:00 PM
End time - 3:00
Location - Redstone Campus
Weather (temperature, wind speed/direction, precipitation) - Sunny, Mid-40s, light wind, no precipitation.
Habitat(s) - Buildings, ornamental trees, field.

It was a pretty warm day, so I didn't see too much with warmth. However, the colder birds I see fluff up to retain heat. They also tend to sit more on their feet instead of perching high up on their feet in order to keep their feet from freezing. They tend to go for high calorie foods; for example I saw waxwings and chickadees going for old fruit. This has a ton of sugar in it, which gives them a quick energy burst similar to people. They spend a fair amount of time feeding and resting, but I am starting to hear them call to each other. Their diet is probably more seed and fruit based in the fall, then switches over to insects when they start coming back out again. They probably overnight in sheltered areas out of the wind, either in tree hollows or in between buildings.
I was on a college campus, so there weren't many dead trees to be had. But on another walk this week there were a ton of snags. Generally, the bigger the snag the bigger the cavities, although sometimes pileated woodpeckers don't care. A squirrel yelled at me a couple times, and a woodpecker flew away when I rapped on a tree. Snags provide food and shelter to a ton of species, from woodpeckers to porcupines. Generally woodpeckers start with them, then other animals use what they started.