Field Observation 3
March 24th, 2019
Sunny and 40 degrees, with moderate wind
Burlington Country Club
4:30 – 6:15 pm
While on this walk, my roommate and I saw black capped chickadees, northern cardinals, hairy woodpeckers, European starlings, and American robins. This was walk very cool as both the robins and cardinals were very vocal and easily picked out as a result. The cardinals seemed to stay away from all other species and were acting as if they were trying to court/attract females. The robins and starling however seemed to interact a lot as we saw them perching together in the same tree within a few feet of each other. The strange part was that we only saw lone starlings and not a flock like they typically are seen in. The robins were all over and the most vocal. There was a large flock of robins flying all over the place as we walked around. The woodpecker seemed to mind his own business and stay away from everything else that was happening. The robins, cardinals, and starlings all were calling. The starling did not call much, but the cardinals and robins were. I believe that since the cardinal we saw was a male that both species were starting to enter the breeding stage and the courtship period had begun. The calling and being obvious would then be to attract a mate in hopes of breeding. Comparing the starling and cardinal, we see two different color schemes. The cardinal is flashy and bright while the starling uses light to shine and become visible. These two variations both have pros and cons. The starling is better camouflaged when not in the sun, but it is harder to stand out for a mate. The cardinal males stick out very well no matter what since they are bright red, but this makes it easier to be seen by predators and therefore eaten. These two options both work but in different ways. The cardinals were singing far more than any other species when we were out. One cardinal that we had the pleasure to watch for 10 minutes was quietly chirping while hoping around on the forest floor looking for bugs. He would also fly up and make louder more pronounced calls as time went on. This fits into the circannual rhythm as this is the time of the year where cardinals start to think about pairing up. The behavior of the cardinal shows that while feeding was the priority, he was beginning to start to look for a mate.
I tried the pishing technique a couple times on different species. The first time I tried using this technique I got a response from the cardinals and an unidentified finch species. The response was far quicker calling and they seemed to become excited or aggravated. I also tried the technique on chickadees and had a different technique. The chickadees took off and did not want any part of this. I believe that this technique works because it relies on a call that many species make, and it means different things based on tone, volume, and speed. I think the call can range from a danger call to a feeding or territorial call. Therefore, the response I saw was so different and why it is so effective. I think that small birds like this call because it is a simple call that is not intimidating. I believe that this is because it is a simple call that tends to have a calming affect unless used in a panicky way.
Comentários
Adicionar um Comentário