Field Observation 3: Huntley Meadows Park

On this excursion, I saw a lot of amazing birds! I went to Huntley Meadows Park in Virginia over my spring break. I started on the woodland trail and not a lot was out and about, but when I arrived at the marsh area, many species were singing and calling. I first saw an eastern phoebe, which immediately started chirping to its partner when it saw me. I assume that was a warning that danger might be afoot. They were very wary of me and flitted around whenever I got close. I then saw/heard several red-winged blackbirds, which were incredibly loud. I saw several loudly call and display their red plumage at the same time, presumably defending their territory. I saw two gaggles of canada geese as well, and they were extremely loud. They would not stop honking at each other the entire time they were swimming in the marsh. Occasionally two geese would honk at each other and fly at each other like they were arguing or trying to display dominance. There were many black-capped chickadees around, and they were all hopping between and pecking at the reeds in the marsh. I also saw an american coot, and when it saw me it used its wings and legs to run away from me on the water. I caught a glimpse of its feet, I had never seen anything like it.

I saw an amazing colorful wood duck in the marsh. This bird was beautiful, and I've been told he has a mate as well. Bright colored feathers are used to attract mates, and it is especially obvious in birds like the wood duck. In species like the american crow, bright plumage is not used to find a mate. They members of a group usually pair up and make nests during breeding season. With the crows' all black plumage, they can hide from potential predators much more easily than a wood duck can. The wood duck most likely has a very difficult time camouflaging because of the colorful plumage.

Something really amazing I witnessed was a great blue heron trying to find some fish to eat. This heron dragged one of its feathers over the surface of the water to try and get the attention of the fish in the water. The heron could have possibly been trying to mimic a water bug. This behavior fits into the bird's circadian rhythm because the body regulates processes on a schedule and that was obviously when the body told the bird that it was time to feed. I also witnessed a pair of mallards diving for fish together. It was obviously their time to eat as well.

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