Field Journal 6

My observations for field journal 6 took place at Bartons Cove in Gill, MA starting at 6:24 p.m. on April 22nd. The temperature was 55 degrees Farenheight with 4 mph northwestern winds. It was mostly sunny with just a few clouds in the sky before sunset. The habitat consisted of waterfront cliffs with walking trails surrounded by old growth forests. There were camp sites which fragmented the habitat, but birds could be observed throughout the entire trail despite separation.

Throughout my observation I noticed that birds were signing more unique and long calls in hopes of finding a mate during breeding season. The birds were perched on branches near the edge of the trees on the edge of the forest so that their plumage could be better seen by potential mates. These walking trails offered a variety of nesting habitats. There were old docks that would work to hide a nest in the middle, on the campers, and in trees or shrubs. I saw an unidentified songbird (only got a glance for a second) fly in the hollowed roots of a tree on the edge of the water in which the bird seemed to have nested in. I found this quite compelling because it seems like a nest basically on the ground would be at larger risk of egg predation or disturbance from not only other birds but mammals. It makes me think that these particular birds were less fit compared to others of their species and could not find any favorable nest habitats. These smaller songbirds would use small twigs and leaves from the ground to make a nest. While the nest was very open to predation, there were ample materials and very short distances that the bird would have to travel to build the nest.

After completing the sound map mini activity, I found it interesting to try to gage distance vs song strength while remaining still. My back faced the water however, I could still hear some birds more clearly across the cove that birds that sounded in closer proximity to me. I could understand better how bird size is directly correlated to song strength. Overall, after this observation, I found that observing these behaviors can provide valuable insights into the ecology and behavior of bird species. It was nice to go birding in a completely different area as well for a change!

Publicerat 24 april 2024 02.47 av sheamacleod