Diario de clarasarantopoulos

On February 18, 2019, I set out for a two-hour birdwatch at 2:30 pm, just after the snow stopped falling. I ventured to the Redstone Campus of the University of Vermont to a large patch of pine trees. I sat in the snow there for about an hour and a half, silently listening for bird calls and scanning the branches above me with my binoculars and camera. I heard a few Black-capped Chickadees around 3:45 pm but saw no birds. I did find a tree with woodpecker markings, but I am unsure of which species.
I decided to move to another location to see if I would be able to spot any birds. I walked behind the Catholic Center towards Central campus and stopped at the group of pines, listening again. I saw a flock of approximately twenty individual birds fly above me. They were light in color, small (approximately sparrow-sized), and had elliptical wings. These wings would allow for explosive flight and quick maneuvering to escape predators. Their fight pattern consisted of constant flapping, but little bouncing in the flight path. The flock moved as one as they flew over the Catholic Center towards Redstone campus.
I continued to walk around the Catholic center, stopping at the small fruit-bearing trees in front but saw no birds. I walked to Southwick Music Hall and the pines in front and sat for about 15 minutes, but I heard and saw no birds. Disappointed and cold, I returned home. I then got into my car and headed down Main Street towards south Burlington. I spotted a flock of 17 large dark birds that I assume to be American Crows. They flew over Main street with a slower wingbeat and a constant altitude (no bounding). Their wings are either elliptical or High lift, but they were too far away to tell for sure. High lift would allow for gliding or fewer wingbeats, and elliptical would allow for faster and easier maneuvering in the air. If I could have seen their wings and tails better, I might have been able to better identify them.
I traveled to Williston and ventured down Beebe Lane, where I saw three Black-capped Chickadees in a patch of bushes. One individual glided into the bush, where the birds hopped from branch to branch, moving further into the bush until I lost sight of them. I then traveled to Snow Drift Lane, where I sat in the backyard of a friend until sunset. I did not see any birds, but I spotted a tree that had the markings of a woodpecker, although I am unsure which species. The cold weather and the recent storm were probably factors for why I did not see many birds, along with the late time of day. I was in lightly to heavily wooded areas, which should have provided shelter for the birds, but could have also made it more difficult for me to spot them. Next time, I will explore some fields or thickets in an attempt to spot birds more easily and have a better chance of seeing them in flight.

iNaturalist ID: clarasarantopoulos
Last part of the link: 21817-journal-entry-1