sheamacleods dagbok

For my first field journal entry I visited Outlook Park in South Burlington on February 9th and started observing at 3:47 p.m. The temperature was 50 degree and fully sunny with 13 mph winds blowing North. I ended my walk through Outlook Park at 4:50 p.m., making my observation just a little over an hour. The park consists of paved walking trails surrounded by commonly found tree species in Vermont. A large patch of Staghorn sumac dominated the edge of the path at the beginning of the park. There are many ornamental species around and, in the park, as well because it is in a residential area. There were large patches of Eastern white pine dominating the overstory of the habitat in the park. Other common tree species I observed while walking on the path included sugar maple, red maple, black cherry, and white oak.

When I first arrived at my observation site, I immediately noticed small groups of medium-sized black birds all flying north-east. Their body shape resembled an American crow or a common raven. They were flying very high in the sky and constantly flapping their wings but swooping down every 20 seconds or so. I am unsure of exactly what species this was, but I knew that they were completely black, and their tails had a trapezoidal or diamond like shape. They were travelling in groups about three and throughout my walk I would see groups of these birds flying high above every 5 minutes or so.

The only other species I observed on throughout my observation was a black-capped chickadee. It was perched for a brief second in the branches of the staghorn sumac. The bird was pecking at its feet before it flew away, every movement the chickadee made was jumpy and quick. When I saw the bird fly away also towards the northeast, it flew in short sporadic burst dipping up and down quickly. This birds small body size and flight pattern allows it to navigate the narrow branches and shrubs embedded within a forest. Observing how body size relates to habitat is fascinating because I realized how adapted each species is to their environment and how different each species is.

Overall, through my observation, I did not observe many birds. I think that the time of day may have affected abundance. I also believe that because I was in an open park near a main road if affects bird distribution. The habitat is extremely fragmented because the park is smushed between Spear Street and a residential area. For my next observation, I want to go to a more secluded location without human disturbances earlier in the day to see how my experience could be different. I have never been bird watching before and I'm very new to identifying species, being in an area with greater species density will allow my identification skills to build.

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!