Migration in Burlington

I went on a hike at Rock Point this weekend where I saw and heard many different birds. My phone died on the journey so I wasn't able to capture any pictures, which was a bummer because I saw my first Cooper’s Hawk flying across the cliffs at the Lone Rock overlook. The Cooper’s hawk is a facultative migrant that leaves Vermont in the winter in search of food further south. This Cooper’s hawk must’ve just arrived back in Burlington during the warm weeks we have been having. The Cooper’s hawk is a bird of prey so it makes sense that as smaller birds either migrate, or become less active in the winter, they would travel to find a more readily available food source. However, the past few weeks more and more birds have been arriving in Burlington and becoming active, bringing the Cooper’s Hawk back to the area.

Some of these now more active year-round residents include the Northern Cardinal, House Sparrow, White-breasted Nuthatch, and Black-capped Chickadee. All species that I saw on my Rock Point hike. These birds all rely on seeds during the winter as a main food source. These seeds either come from foraging or residential feeders. Additionally, most of the species are cavity nesters, which means that they don't have to rely on foliage for cover and protection. The one exception is the Northern Cardinal which nests in shrubs. I have Cardinals living in my backyard that specifically nest in the evergreen shrubs. This is probably to avoid cover loss in the fall when the leaves drop.

I also saw Mallards on my hike. I know these birds can be obligate migrators but they also can stay year-round in places like Burlington. Lake Champlain doesn’t completely freeze over and remains an abundant food source for these birds. I am not sure if the Mallards I saw got back from a migration down south, but I would assume that they have stayed in Burlington throughout the winter.

I unfortunately did not see any obligate migrators on my hike. As a result it is hard to tell how many miles the Cooper’s Hawk and the Mallard might have traveled. At a minimum, the Cooper’s Hawk would have traveled about 150 miles and if the Mallards did migrate they would have traveled somewhere around 300 miles. This is a total of 450 miles!

Even though I didn’t get pictures on my Rock Point I have attached some cool birds I saw when I traveled to Fort Myers Florida!!

Publicado el 25 de marzo de 2024 por juliapolvino