1/28 Bird Walk

At 7:30am on Thursday, January 28th, a small crew of WFB 130 students ventured out to Centennial Woods. The sun was coming out, and the temperature was somewhere between 10-15ºF. While en route to the forest, several American Crows were sited overhead, flying away from their evening roost. We were able to distinguish these birds as crows due to their large size and consistent and full wing movement, and their call.

Upon arriving at Centennial Woods, their was an abundance of bird vocalizations dispersed throughout the early-late successional growth forest. A Tufted Titmouse was spotted, and several more were heard. Both the call and the song were present throughout the woods. The Tufted Titmouse can often look similar to a Black-capped Chickadee, but differs in its crest and slightly larger body size. Several Black-capped Chickadees were heard, and a few were seen perched on branches. The Black-capped Chickadees were mainly calling amongst a medley of other birds, however the song was heard a few times. Perhaps mating season is coming soon? A White-breasted Nuthatch call was also heard, and the bird soon after became visible perched on a branch. The Nuthatch may have been foraging on the tree, looking for wintering insects. The sound of many birds calling at each other increased as we went further into the woods. Maybe there was a predator near, a food source, or an intruder.

On the way out, American Crows continued to fly over head, although a few were seen perched high up on trees in some old growth forest. Two Downy Woodpeckers were heard, and one was spotted foraging for wintering insects on a snag.

Publicado el 31 de enero de 2016 a las 08:29 PM por jgordon