Field Observation 2: Physiology
On Saturday (02/23/2019) I went to Shelburne Pond Natural Area and walked around the trails. Around 4:30pm there was not a lot of wildlife activity. A lot of the trees closer to the parking lot were deciduous, but as I walked further down the path I saw more conifers. I had to walk deeper into the woods to eventually spot something. I also noticed that there were less disturbances deeper in the woods. For instance, when I started walking there were multiple people cross country skiing with their dogs and they were making a lot of noise. In addition, it was easier to hear the noise pollution from the road. Within an hour, I observed three airplanes that flew overhead. It may be possible that the birds and other wildlife were located deeper in the woods because they were avoiding human disturbances and other noises. Additionally, there were more conifers which provide shelter from the environment.
I eventually saw about five Black-capped Chickadees flittering between trees around 5:13pm. At first I did not notice them sitting in the tree, but I could hear a call every once in a while. The darker plumage made it slightly more difficult to notice the birds sitting in the dark trees after the sun had set. It was also difficult to spot the birds because they were not moving or making a lot of noise. They were rather sedentary until I started playing bird calls on my phone. After playing the recording, I heard some drumming on a tree branch and I thought it might have been a woodpecker. However, when I looked up I noticed that the chickadee was hitting the branch with its beak. It also started preening its chest. I assume that the birds were resting and conserving heat and energy by sitting in the tree until they heard the recorded bird call.
Throughout the walk I noticed three snags. There was one about 50 ft from the parking lot. I was surprised that it was on a smaller tree, about 4 ft tall, but there was nothing inside of it. I noticed another snag, around the area that I saw the chickadees, on a much larger and taller tree. Unfortunately, I could not see inside because I was about 70 ft too short. However, there was some sap dripping from it. The last snag had a squirrel sitting inside. There were also a couple of squirrels climbing up and down various trees. Snags provide shelter and serve as a perch for hunting individuals. Dead trees without leaves are still useful.
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