FJ7: Reproductive Ecology and Evolution
Date: 5/3/23
Start time: 2:50 pm
End time: 3:45 pm
Location: Redstone Green/campus/surrounding areas
Weather: slight wind, chilly (~50 degrees), light on/off rain
Habitat: mostly urban/human-developed areas with patches of green fields and trees
Though it was raining lightly, I saw more birds than I expected to today. Particularly, I wanted to go birding around campus because in the past couple of days I saw huge gatherings of gulls on the Redstone Green and the sports fields by Patrick Gym. I was happy to see them again today, and it makes sense that the rain wouldn't bother them since they often deal with the water from the lake/sea anyway. I was surprised to see several other species like American Robins and Tufted Titmice in the trees, as well as some Common Ravens.
As for nesting, I have seen the ravens by the gym hanging out together quite often, and I realized that they were raising a couple of babies. They have a nest in one of the trees next to Patrick Gym, and I often see them perched there or in nearby trees whenever I pass. They also tend to let out loud caws, especially when there seem to be other ravens visiting (they are quite loud!). I also heard and saw a very loud Red-winged Blackbird in one of the small trees by the Redstone north parking lot. It seemed to be competing with another Red-winged Blackbird in the next tree over, though neither of the trees seemed to be a 'prime' location, since they were right next to the parking lot and dumpsters. This could mean they are fighting for scraps of territory, but maybe not: I have also spotted the on the fence by the field somewhat nearby that has a lot of grasses on its outside, which could be a great spot for food or shelter. Judging by how loudly and aggressively the bird was singling, I suspect it may be the latter. Those wispy grasses could be great nesting material, and it wouldn't surprise me if some of the thin-stranded materials from the Redstone dumpsters were used too. Other than this, they could use leaves and twigs from the nearby forested areas.
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