User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
Your initial post will describe the area that you have selected to observe. Give a brief physical description of the study area. Include its approximate size and location, and a general picture of its topography (i.e., canyon, flat, rolling hills, mountain slope, river bottom, etc.), vegetation (this can be very coarse, for example forested, grassland, wetland, city street with ornamental trees and shrubs, etc.), and designation, if any (i.e., Provincial or City park, golf course, etc.). Also note, when and at what time you visited the site and give an indication of weather and seasonality. Think about potential subjects that you might want to study for your research project. Based on your observations, list three questions that are interesting or striking and could form the subject of your research project. Support the descriptions above with images from your field journal (if you’re using paper and pen, scan your pages; if you’re using digital technology, save your files and submit those).
Remember to check the “Categories” box for Post 1: Observations when you post.
The study site I have selected is a prairie grassland/shrubland. It is roughly 4 acres in area and is comprised mostly of prairie thistle and bromegrass with varying areas of dense shrubbery aggregated in a seemingly random fashion. The study area is situated out in the countryside with minimal development surrounding it and frequently passing wildlife (indicated by numerous sets of tracks). There is a continuous hill that slopes upward facing south, with a relatively uniform apex ridge that runs for approximately 75 meters at its highest point. I first visited the site around 11:00 am, and the weather conditions were about -5 degrees C and lightly snowing. The skies had about 80% cloud cover. The only taller trees were situated at the edges of the study area. The area is surrounded by 2 gravel roads and various farmer’s fences in adjacent fields, though the area itself does not have any surrounding fences nor does it look like it has been used as farmland in any recent years.
Three interesting observations made at the site were as follows. The first were the presence of animal tracks. Based on experience I could see white-tailed jackrabbit (extremely abundant), coyote (relatively abundant), and mule or white-tailed deer (relatively abundant) tracks. A possible research question here could be asked about predator and prey relative abundance in correlation with food item availability (shrubs, forbes, and grasses). Another interesting note was the abundance of small ground mammal activity. Under the light snowfall it was obvious this is a popular spot for Richardson ground squirrels and pocket gophers, indicated by mountains of dark dirt and several small holes that had been recently used. A possible research question with the could be due to elevation as there is an obvious elevation change within the 4 acres, we could look at abundance of den-site selection and relationship to elevation change. Another observation is the aggregation of shrub-like vegetation. These patches seemed somewhat random, but it is possible the species of shrubs and grasses could be correlated with elevation (and therefore moisture availability) or abundance of browsers (such as mule or white tailed deer). This of course could have multiple covariables and confounding variables, and could get too complicated for the study at hand.
The area that I choose to study is the lakeshore area of Toronto, more specifically the little park across my apartment. This park and trail is thin and lengthy spanning over many kms. I will just be analyzing the area of the park that is closest to me. It is located beside a major roadway. It is flat with some rolling hills here and there but nothing major. The vegetation is grassland and city street. The park is regulated by city property. I visit the park every day for last couple months; however right now we are in winter time and the temperature is cold and dry (for the most part). I would like to study the geese that are always at the park, and insects that i can find during these cold months.
Three questions
1) How are the behaviors of the geese now, in winter time?
2) What insects can you find? Where are they located in the park? Describe their environment (On the pavement, on/in the grass, in the trees?
3)Are there any birds in sight at the park? if so which ones? Have you noticed any changes in the birds present between now and the summer months?