One thing this class has taught me is a new found appreciation for birds in this world. Before really learning about birds in an academic setting and going out into the field and observing them for myself birds were often animals that I didn't pay much attention to in my daily life, but now I can't help but notice and be enthralled by birds and their behavior everywhere I go. Ravenna Park has provided me with ample opportunities to watch birds live their lives in these woods, and although they are incredibly difficult to photograph this class has given me the skills to successfully identify a number of species. In my time here I have observed American crow, American robin, song sparrow, white crowned sparrow, house finch, American gold finch, black capped chickadee, tree swallow, pacific wren, bewick's wren, yellow worbler and bushtit. For my last standard journal entry I decided I would try and pay extra close attention to the birds and their behavior, it took me quite awhile of rummaging around the woods to find some good observation points but after awhile I was treated to quite the spectacle involving a group of black capped chickadees.
Climbing through some of the back trails of Ravenna woods I followed the familiar sound of a group of chickadees calling out to one another with their signature "dee dee dee" sound. What I found then was exactly the kind of spectacle I needed, a very small and fuzzy black capped chickadee fledgling perched on the branch of a small tree. Not wanting to disturb the fledgling and alarm the nearby parents I quietly sat down on a nearby log and began to sketch the small bird.
Although blurry, the fledgling can clearly be seen in the center of this photo.
A simple sketch of the chickadee.
As I was sketching the bird, other more mature chickadees could be seen flying around in the branches above, moving frequently in a rather fast manner. They would perch on a branch for a few seconds, seeming to look around their surroundings quickly and let out some noises then move again. After observing them for awhile something changed though, a neighborhood cat who was wandering the woods found me in my spot, and in addition to seeking attention from me also seemed to notice the chickadee fledgling in the tree. The cat stared intently at the fledgling as if though to show its interest in making the young bird its dinner, this seemed to spark an alarm in the adults who were flying around in the trees. Suddenly the movement of the birds got more rapid and they unleashed a number of distinct warning calls to each other. Then more birds began to show up, before long there were a total of 4 adult chickadees flying rapidly around the fledgling which remained unmoved in the branch. This went on for awhile before the cat got bored and moved on, the birds then seemed to calm down as well as they noticed their threat leaving and the fledgling remained unharmed.
Although it was friendly towards me, I encouraged this cat to get moving so it would no longer bring stress to the Chickadees.
Another bird that stood out to me was a white crowned sparrow which was perched on the top of a small western hemlock. The bird sat up there unmoved for several minutes letting out many a call as if to signal others not to come near. Between calls it would turn its head around and look around a bit, perhaps to see if any threats or competing males were coming nearby. Eventually the bird flew off into the woods and I was unable to follow it any longer, but I greatly enjoyed watching it and attaching the words "I am a white crowned sparrow" to its call at every chance I got.
A sketch of the white crowned sparrow as it sat on top of a small western hemlock calling out.
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