Diario de kbullock

For this birding expedition I travelled to Eagle Mountain in Milton, Vermont on Saturday, April 16th. At about 11 a.m. when I began hiking it was sunny and 42 degrees.

The first bird sighting was of a Great Blue Heron. This bird was seen right before we reached the entrance to the mountain. The bird was standing on the edge of a body of water but we could not see what the bird was doing because due thick brush that surrounded it. Approximately 5 minutes after we had driven by the Great Blue Heron, we heard the distant sounds of Wild Turkey. Soon after we heard the gobbling, four Wild Turkeys appeared on the side of the road. Three of them we female and one of them was a male. We stopped driving the car as the birds crossed the road. The females crossed first and the male trailed behind them, taking significantly longer to cross than the females.

Once we reached Eagle Mountain, we noticed a group of Black-capped Chickadees and House Sparrows foraging on the forest floor. The beginning portion of the walk lacked in actual visualizations, however we did hear the songs and calls of birds in the distance, such as the American Robin and American Crow. We additionally head the pecking of woodpeckers in the distance. About an hour into our hike, when we reached the top of the mountain, we identified multiple Turkey Vultures soaring around the tree canopy. They were identified based on their slotted wing tips. On the way down he mountain, we saw two White-breasted Nuthatches chasing one another up and down the trunk of tree. We also visualized both a Pileated and a Downy Woodpecker in two different trees near the base of the mountain. The Downy Woodpecker was perched on the side of the tree and the Pileated Woodpecker was pecking at the tree.

After leaving the mountain, we saw multiple birds on the drive back. A male Red-winged Blackbird was seen flying above a cattail marsh. He was quickly identified once the red and yellow patch on his wing was seen. Turkey Vultures and American Crows were seen frequently flying above the road. As we approached Burlington we saw a flock of Cedar Waxing perching in a tree and a few European Starling near campus. I arrived home at approximately 2:30 pm..

I conducted my birding excursion on March 17, 2016 at North Beach and Lone Rock Point in Burlington, Vermont. The temperature at the time of departure, which was around 12:45 p.m., was 55 degrees and the weather was partly cloudy with a slight breeze.

I began recording bird sightings at the entrance to the Lake Champlain Waterfront Park. Upon entry to the park, I could hear the distinct songs of American Crows and Northern Cardinals in the distance. After walking for about a minute, about 6 crows were visually identified flying from tree to tree in a small patch of trees. Further down the bike path on the way to North Beach, I heard the cooing of the Mourning Dove and then spotted approximately 3 of them perched in a nearby tree. The doves were identified based off of the sound of their song and their long, tapered tail. Throughout the duration of this excursion, both Herring and Ring-billed Gulls were seen and heard flying above me and perching along the shore. Too many individuals were spotted to keep an accurate record of.

By the time I reached North Beach, the weather had darkened slightly. The temperature cooled and a few drops of rain began to fall. The wind additionally began to blow heavily and I believe this negatively impacted the quantity of birds that were visualized after this point. A male Northern Cardinal was spotted in the Lakeview Cemetery that is adjacent to the bike path. The bird landed on the ground as I passed but quickly fled. As I walked along the beach, I saw about 7 Mallards dabbling in the cattail marsh at the end of North Beach. There were 5 males and 2 females. In the swamp adjacent to the cattail marsh, another American Crow was seen and heard, cawing rather harshly while flying alone from tree to tree.

At Lone Rock Point, I continued to see various Gulls flying overhead of me and I could hear multiple songbirds in the distance. When I finally left Lone Rock Point, I saw Black-capped Chickadees and House Sparrows frolicking around in the low shrubbery and foraging on the ground. The last identification I made was a flock of Canada Geese flying overhead of me as I left. They were identified because of their sound and distinct flight formation.

I went on my bird excursion in Centennial Woods on February 19, 2016 at 9:55 am. The temperature was 25 degrees and it was relatively sunny with a slight breeze.

Upon arriving to the entrance of Centennial Woods, I identified an American Crow flying overhead of me. I first recognized the crow by its distinctive cawing and was able to visualize the bird shortly after. I then walked downhill into the woods, past the locations where I had watched birds on my previous bird trek. I did not come into contact with another bird until I had walked for about 20 minutes. At this point, I heard the call of the White-breasted Nuthatch and shorty after saw the bird flitting up a tree trunk. I watched the bird for a few seconds and then realized that there was a second White-breasted Nuthatch further up the tree. The two birds chased each other around the trunk of the tree as they quietly chirped.

After walking for about 20 more minutes, I came across a group of chickadees. As I approached the banditry, I realized that they were all congregated under a bird feeder. I was surprised at the lack of concern the birds at the feeder seemed to have about my presence. During the time I spent at the feeder, I identified a female Downy Woodpecker, a Tufted Titmouse, and an American Goldfinch, I believe the finch was a females, but I am not entirely positive. The woodpecker alternated between feeding and spending time in trees. Every time the woodpecker returned the American Goldfinch would fly away.

The last birds I identified were again a pair of White-breasted Nuthatches. I saw these birds pecking at a tree as they scurried up and down the trunk,

My birding expedition took place at 1:13 p.m. on February 3, 2016. The location was Centennial Woods in Burlington, Vermont. The weather was cloudy and slightly windy for the duration of my trip and the temperature was 43 degrees.

During the walk up to Centennial Woods from campus, we were able to identify four American Robins and an American Crow. The four Robins were seen foraging on the ground near the edge of the woods and the Crow was seen in flight near the UVM Police Station. The first section of our trip took place in the second-growth portion of Centennial Woods. We stopped at the first bird feeder for about a half hour and recorded the species of birds that were both seen and heard. Upon arrival there were three Black-capped Chickadees foraging on the ground for seeds and occasionally fluttering up to the bird feeder. About 20 minutes later a male Downy Woodpecker landed on the bird feeder. He did not eat from the feeder at all and flew away about 30 seconds after his arrival. While at this location, we additionally could heard the chirping of Northern Cardinals, however we did not actually see any.

We then ventured deeper into Centennial Woods, where the old growth potion of the forest is. No birds were close enough for us to actually identify, but we did hear the sounds of pecking woodpeckers in the distance.

The last location of our trip was the bird feeder at the edge of Centennial Woods that is close to the road. We again identified four Black-capped Chickadees foraging around the feeder. We waited at this location for about 20 minutes and just when we were about to leave, a White-breasted Nuthatch (most likely female) landed on a tree approximately 20 feet away from us. She climbed a couple feet up the tree and then proceeded to fly away. We then departed from the woods.