Field Journal 2

Today is February 22nd, 2024, and the time is 12:50 p.m. For this observation I started at a private beach adjacent to Leddy Beach. I found this private beach a month ago and have been visiting weekly since because it is secluded, and I have observed birds here before. Throughout my hour-long observation that ended at 1:58 p.m., I walked along the Island Line Trail bike path that follows the outline of the lake throughout Burlington. The section of the bike path I was walking was surrounded by lush vegetation and rich green forest. The temperature was 38 degrees Fahrenheit with light rain and overcast skies. The wind was blowing 15.5 mph southwest, and it was an overall gloomy grey day.

One of the most abundant species I observed at my site were Mallards. When I was walking down the private beach 8 mallards were sleeping and covering their heads in their wings for warmth and protection from the rain. They were laying at the edge of the shore, despite the light drizzle of rain. When the mallards weren't sleeping, they were pecking at the shallow water looking they were trying to eat any washed-up debris. The mallards most likely sleep on the shoreline protected from the elements or in the water where they were napping. Because its winter and there's no one on the beaches, the mallards aren't getting food from people which they usually do during the summer.

Because of the light drizzle and cloudy weather, I did not observe many species on the actual bike path. Birds try to find shelter to stay dry and protect the insulating properties of its feathers. However, I observed 10 snags with clear habitable nesting sites for birds throughout my walk. Snags are important for birds and wildlife because it provides nest and foraging opportunities, perches for birds, and contribute to the health of an ecosystem. Snag size and cavity size have positive correlation, if a snag is larger the cavity size is larger. It would be typical to find woodpeckers, chickadees, nuthatches, owls, and warblers in snags in Vermont. Because the bike path is well trimmed around the edges and therefore, I couldn't find a stick long enough to poke into one of the snags. Once again, I would like to plan ahead better with the weather for these field observations. The location I visited was an ideal place to bird watch I just came on a bad time. I had an awesome time walking around and paying attention to the nature around me!

Publicerat 24 februari 2024 02.20 av sheamacleod