User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
November 20, 2017
In an effort to measure bird species presence and abundance along an urbanized gradient, surveys were completed within the Stanley park around the Lost Lagoon.
Site 1 – West side of Lost Lagoon, Site 2- South Side of Lost Lagoon, Site 3 – East Side of Lost Lagoon
4 replicate point count surveys in each of three areas listed above (2 replicate locations per area, on 2 different dates). I will complete at least one more day of data collection, with 2 more replicate point count surveys in each of the three areas over the next week. In addition, limiting the number of point count surveys to two per habitat has also made the surveys manageable as it still takes about 1 hour to complete all 6-point count surveys across the three areas on any given sampling day.
I calculated my explanatory variables for each area (approximately 300m x 300m area) as a whole using aerial photography to determine the percent cover of natural habitat (forest, wetland, etc…) and urbanized areas (buildings, roads, trails, etc…). I used a systematic sampling strategy to place my point count survey sites within each survey area randomly along the road or trail that runs through them. A random number generator provided the first survey point location in each site, while the second survey point was systematically placed 200m away to maintain the minimum distance required for independence between sites. At each point count survey, all birds seen and heard within a 50m radius of the observation point were recorded during a 5-minute period.
Bird abundance has been quite highest in site 2, site 1, and then site 3; in that order. Site 1 does have large flocks of Canadian geese swimming through it which will definitely elevate the overall abundance numbers for that site, whereas the other two sites have smaller abundances by individual species but more species overall.
