Journal Entry #3

Date: 27 March, 2019
Time: Noon
Location: Causeway Park
Weather: Still air, warming temperatures at 40F and clear blue skies.

Two Black-capped Chickadees were together for about 5 minutes while I watched. At The Causeway, the birds were out in the shrubbery that lines the path out into the lake. I was surprised to see them as far out into the lake as they were, but it was really neat to watch them follow one another and stay close by. Indeed, they were not physically interacting, but it was clear that they were intentionally keeping close.

The two birds were hopping around from one branch to another, and I got to stand feet away while they browsed around for something interesting to eat. As soon as one jumped to the next plant, the other followed, and they went along this way for as long as I could see them. I am not sure if they were directly trying to communicate, but maybe the male was following the female around. They looked pretty similar to me in plumage, but I think female chickadees are less bright than males. Maybe they were two males trying to size each other up in some way. Chickadee mating season is from April to June, and April is right around the corner. Maybe males are trying to establish themselves before mating season and are spending some time together to determine dominance over one another.

Maybe breeding season is starting a little early and the pair was a male and female. The only visual cue I could discern from the interaction was that they were sticking together for some reason or another.

The plumage of an American Robin I observed was dark gray-blue on the upper parts and a subdued red belly. It was hopping around on the ground and possibly searching for insects in the ground. The red breast is brighter in males than it is in females, so evolutionarily, it became more advantageous to have a brighter breast than a duller one because it was easier to find and pair with a mate.

The plumage of a Barred Owl I observed was brown and white spotted, which made it very difficult to spot once it moved from one branch to another. This is, evolutionarily, the purpose of their plumage coloration. Barred Owls are easily camouflaged in wooded areas and it allows them to more easily stalk and hunt their prey.

American Robins begin singing around April 1, according to a blogpost about birds in early spring. I heard the distinct cheer-cheerily-cheerily-cheerio of at least three American Robins in the tops of trees as I walked beneath them. It made me excited to be able to recognize their song at such an important time in their seasonal cycles. The robins in Burlington are already singing and seeking mates, and even though I did not watch a robin sing its song, I certainly could tell they were cheerily-cheering to their hearts’ content.

I tried to ‘pish’ to the two chickadees I mentioned above, and I tried to attract them with the sounds, but they largely ignored me. I skipped around and tried to make a little song by ‘pishing,’ but maybe the only way the birds reacted was by staying for an extra moment to check out the sound. It might work because it kind of sounds like an alarm call and when chickadees hear it, they could be more inclined to check out the source of the sound.

Posted on 28 de março de 2019, 01:39 AM by