March 14th 2018 Conservation Land in MA

I went on a bird walk around 9 a.m. on Marth 14th, 2018 during the blizzard. I went behind my house to the conservation land to find some birds. The temperature was around 28 degrees Fahrenheit. During my bird walk this week, I heard Northern Cardinals and Tufted Titmice. I couldn't see them due to the snow and I'm pretty sure they were hiding from the cold. I was able to hear both the Northern Cardinal and the Tufted Titmouse.

Some ways that birds conserve heat is through physiological, behavioral, and morphological means. Tufted Titmice, like Black-capped Chickadees, go through facultative hypothermia which is a physiological adaptation. During facultative hypothermia, the bird's body temperature drops to conserve heat. This usually occurs during sleep. Another way for birds to conserve heat is for them to puff up to try to conserve the heat. This is what Northern Cardinals do. These birds also may huddle together to try to persevere heat. These birds are mainly scavenging for food and sleeping. The Northern Cardinals and Tufted Titmice usually eat seeds and nuts. Those may be hard to find during the winter. Usually, Tufted Titmice eat insects but those are near impossible to get during the winter. Northern Cardinals usually eat seeds year round but they also eat fruits. During the night they will probably be in their nests. Northern Cardinals usually nest in shrubs or vine tangles and Tufted Titmice usually nest in holes in wood or snags. Snags are important because they provide shelter for many songbirds like the Tufted Titmice.

Publicado el 17 de marzo de 2018 a las 02:20 AM por sdurant