User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
Throughout this module I needed to get 3 replicate samples completed. I’m collecting a total of 15 replicates (5 from initial data) and either 3 or 4 replicates per module. I haven’t had any problems with implementing my sampling design so far… I will continue to go to my point count stations in the morning when it is nice and cool and I will record the amount of times I see a bird using the area. This no longer takes into account any birds that fly by or and bird calls since they are not technically using the area. I think this will give me more accurate data. So, because of this decision, only part of my data from the first 5 initial observations I recorded is valid and, therefore, I will only be being using half of the data. I will return to all my 5 point count stations in the same order that I did the first time and I’ll continue the process of returning to these stations one at a time over multiple days… This also gives me extra time to complete other parts of this module. So, on Aug 20th I returned to my first point count station. This station is the station with no shelter, this is the lawn area station. It was 15 degrees Celsius, however, there was a layer of smoke blanketing the area. I only saw 1 bird using the area during the whole 10 minutes… I have a feeling this is due to the smoke. I don’t know how long the smoke will stick around and I’m curious if the smoke might skew my observations; however, I can’t wait forever for it to go away and I will just have to take this into account when I am analysing the data. I then returned to my second station a couple days later on Aug 22nd . It was 16 degrees and the thick layer of smoke was still glomming above. The second count station is the intermediate station with half shelter and multiple bird feeders within the area. Even with the thick smoke I saw 3 birds use the area. The next day, Aug 23rd , I went to visit the third count station. There was no smoke!!! I was a nice morning with clear skies and it was 15 degrees Celsius. This station is the one right in the middle of the forest with lots of shelter. Here I recorded 3 birds using this station. I will visit the rest of the stations sometime throughout the next couple of days and be finished up by module 8. From the data, I have recorded I am starting to see more of what I was expecting. I did in fact more birds in areas with more shelter than in areas of low to intermediate shelter. I will be very interested when analysing my final data to see if the smoke did in fact have any real affect, but hopefully it will be gone for good now.
