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Blog Post 1: Observations – General Brock Park, Vancouver, BC
Observations by: Harriette Laroco
Location: General Brock Park, Vancouver, BC
Date: Monday, 18 February 2019
Weather: Clear, sunny skies; slight wind
Time of Observation: 15:09-15:48
My field research project will cover General Brock Park, in the Kensington-Cedar Cottage neighbourhood in Vancouver, BC. It is a small city park that is 2.11 hectares in size. The park is in a residential area of Vancouver and is frequented by local residents and their pets, as well as wildlife such as chipmunks, crows, and geese. In warmer weather, the park is also frequently used by local sports teams.
Figure 1. Satellite image of General Brock Park using Google Maps.
My first observations were made on Monday, February 18, 2019 when the park was covered in snow. Recent rainfall caused some snow to melt, leaving some grass patches to be seen. The snow had also become icy.
Figure 2. Snow-covered General Brock Park, facing SE
The park is tree-lined with rolling green hills to the south (now snow-covered). Right outside of the park bounds are residential streets and houses. Towards the northwestern side of the park is a small street hockey area and to the southwest is a small playground (Figure 3 and Figure 4, respectively).
Figure 3. Street hockey area at northwestern end of General Brock Park
Figure 4. Playground at southwestern end of General Brock Park
The snow allowed me to observe some animal tracks (Figure 5, Figure 6, Figure 7).
Figure 5. Paw prints
Figure 6. Bird print set 1
Figure 7. Bird print set 2
Figure 8. Field notes – Monday, 18 February 2019
Some questions I drew during this initial observation period were:
- How has the frequency of human and domesticated animal use of the park affected the park’s vegetation?
- Why are chestnut burrs more prominently found towards tops of trees?
- Why are chestnut burrs found in greater numbers in the trees found towards the south of the park?
