Into the Woods: Hinesburg Town Forest

On Saturday January 31, 2016, I went up to the Hinesburg Town Forest, a mixed old growth and new growth forest, to look for birds. On my way I passed a group of Sumac shrubs, on North Roads just before the turn to Haden Hill, and hanging onto one of the shrubs was a Pileated Woodpecker. I turned around to get it's picture but it was gone. I arrived at 8:16am and headed for the International trail. It was 33 degrees Fahrenheit, partly cloudy, and the sun was still behind this side of the hill. Black-capped Chickadees were very loud around the parking lot and several flew down around us. It seemed that the further I got into the woods the quieter it became; at times completely silent. Chickadees seemed to stay around the parking lot more and not so much into the forest. I heard a Blue Jay at the head of the International trail and one about a fourth of the way through, but did not see either of them. I wondered if many of the birds did hang around homes more than in the center of the forest, because of the bird feeders, especially in these wintery months.

At about 9:20am, there was a distinct difference in the amount of calls and songs I heard. I also noticed that the sun was starting to hit the tops of the trees on this side of the hill. It wasn't long before the sun reached some of the forest floor. Chickadees again were seen and many were heard, which makes me think that maybe they were just waking up with the new sun in the forest? There were also at least two calls I did not recognize however one may have been a Blue Jay. At this point I headed back. As I got closer to the parking lot again the Black-capped Chickadees made so much noise that it was never silent. Leaving the parking lot there was a Blue Jay that I watched for a while (it eluded my camera). On Hayden Hill just down from the forest parking lot there was a flock of Mourning Doves (about 7 but they scattered very quickly when I pulled over). I managed to get a distant picture of two.

Publicado el enero 31, 2016 04:43 TARDE por