On October 24, 2009 our class visited Zaleski State Forest, off of Long Ridge Road. Several treatments have been completed for research on tree species composition, regeneration, and wildlife research. The treatments consisted of thinning, thin/ burn, burning, and control plots. The day was overcast with scattered showers, windy-BWS around 5, and it was around 10 degrees Celsius.
We started at 8:25 and the class disbursed into different plots. We began our point counts which consisted of sitting in the middle of the plot and recording every bird we saw or heard within a 50m -100m radius in 15 minutes. We also spot mapped the general vicinity the bird was in for our spot mapping excercise within a 50 meter radius. I was in the thin /burn plots for all three point counts. The habitat consisted of dense understory, rubus sp, smilax spp, and oaks, with some red and Sugar maples interspersed. The topography was hily and a stream ran throughou tthe area.
During my first point count beginning at at 8:39 am and ending at 8: 54 within a 50 meter radius I heard 4 American Crows. Between the 50 m to 100 m radius I saw a heard 2 White -Breasted Nuthatch, 2 American Crow,Northern Cardinal, common Yellow throat, and a Eastern Tufted Titmouse.
My second point count and spot mapping endeavor started at 9: 12 am and ended at 9: 27 am. The wind was picking up.within the 50 meter radius I heard one eastern Tufted Titmouse. Between the 50 m -100 m radius I heard r eastern Tufted Titmice. I suspect that the rain coming in had something to do with the lack of species heard or observed.
My spot mapping data collection started at 9: 36 am and ended at 9: 51 am. I saw two Turkey Vultures cricling overhead,and heard one Carolina Chickadee. Between the 50 m-100 m area I heard 3 Carolina Wrens and another Carolina CHickadee much farther away from the last one as shown.
This excercise was a great learning expereince for data collection for techniques, it would be quite ovewhelming on a day with high bird activity.
We left this area at 10:00 and went to the Zaleski Grouse Trail, it was still overcast and around 10 degrees celcius. the area consisted of a wetkland, swamp area with snags and shrubby vegetation. It began to sprinkle so I feel we might have seen more species if weather conditions were better. Overall we saw and heard:
Song Sparrow (heard)
Turkey Vulture Soaring
American Crow calling
Yellow Shafted Flicker calling throughout our visit
As we proceeded farther down the trail we saw a Downy Woodpecker and Hairy Woodpecker. A Red Bellied Woodpecker could be heard in the distance. As we were standing and observing EAstern Tufted Titmouse was calling as well as a Carolina Wren.We could also here a young male White- Throated sparrow practicing his song for the coming mating season—we heard many versions of poor Sam peabody. As we were leaving at 1230 we heard an American Crow calling and the nasally yank yank yank from a White Breasted Nuthatch.
