April 23rd At Home Bird Watching

After our in-class bird watching to celebrate Earth Day, I stayed out on my porch to continue watching. I live in the second row of houses off the coast of the Chesapeake Bay with a few Magnolia and pine trees in neighboring yards. We have already spotted two nests in crevices in our deck. Most birds in this area nest in higher trees, in houses, or in bird boxes. If I were to walk to the boardwalk in my town I would see large osprey nests on the tops of wood pilings.

I saw a Red-Winged Blackbird chasing after another blackbird and returning to an Oak in a neighbor's yard. Since there aren't many large trees in my suburban city this would be a prime territory to have. Many of the people I live near have bird feeders, houses, or birdbaths in their yards. These provide resources to the birds who are able to claim territories in this area. Claiming at least part of this oak as it's territory means that the Red-Winged Blackbird has higher fitness than the bird it was flying after.

The nest that the Blackbird makes will probably contain similar materials to the nests on my deck. We believe a Mourning Dove is nesting on our deck. When flying in and out they've dropped candy wrappers, fishing line, and small twigs. Birds pick up their nesting material off of sidewalks and from green areas. Litter is common in North Beach and has become a part of many of the nests I see. Osprey have to work harder to find their nest-building material. Large Osprey nests commonly contain sticks broken off from scags found in the bordering wetlands and other grassy material.

Along with the Osprey, Red-Winged Blackbird, and Mourning Dove, I also saw 5 European Starlings. The starlings were spaced along an electrical wire and didn't seem to be defending any territory.

I was able to watch a lot of activity from my tiny back porch. As spring progresses I'll be able to keep track of what birds make my back yard their home.

This is the link to my Sound Map: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-9AJeO47qDHoGfAl_owMSe-_ZAg96vNrvwjUnkd9PHo/edit?usp=sharing

Publicado el 03 de mayo de 2020 por