Journal 2 - Clover Hill Wildlife Management Area

My second bird watch took place at Clover Hill Wildlife Management Area in Strafford, Vermont. The 506 acre WMA is heavily forested with eastern hemlock (Tsuga Canadensis), red maple (Acer rubrum), American beech (Fagus grandifolia), and eastern white pine (Pinus strobus). My observation took place over on a transect, however, not a traditional one. There was no organized method or procedure that I followed while doing observation. I was also observing fisher (Martes pennant), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), and porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) tracks in the snow which is what ultimately dictated the areas and distances I traveled inside the WMA. This transect began at approximately 2:30pm and extended to 4:25pm.

Upon arrival to the site, before entering the WMA itself, I first spotted a White-breasted Nuthatch at a bird feeder next to the parking area. Initially I heard the birds nasally call which I instantly recognized as a nuthatch. I then turned around to see the bird hopping up the tree trunk, a behavior that characterizes this particular avian species. I was able to identify it as the White-Breasted Nuthatch for the obvious reason that the breast was white and not red. Accompanying the White-breasted Nuthatch at the feeder were three Black-capped Chickadees which were emitting the chickadee-dee-dee alarm calls. After observing these birds for a couple of minutes, I headed out across a field and into the forest of the WMA. It was here that I saw a couple of American Crows which were approximately 100 yards away from me above the tree line. They had a linear flight pattern and I was able to distinguish them from Common Raven by the shape of their tail.

The next bird that I saw was a sole Pileated Woodpecker. I looked up through some eastern hemlock trees to see the bird flying directly overhead, just above the tree canopy. I recognized it as a Pileated Woodpecker due to the ballistic flight pattern in which the bird beats its wings and then drops slightly to then beat them again. The woodpecker had black and white plumage as well as a red crest on top of its head. In addition, I noticed that this Pileated Woodpecker was particularly small in comparison to others I have seen in the past.

Posted on 20 de fevereiro de 2016, 01:43 AM by jpleonar