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Blog Post 1: Observations
The area I have chosen to study is a flat, grassy field that backs onto a relatively steep mountain slope in a suburban neighbourhood. The area including the entire field and a portion of the slope that I have chosen to study is approximately half of an acre in size. My first visit to the site was July 11, 2019 (considered to be summertime in Terrace, BC), in the early evening (6:00 pm). The weather was overcast, slightly raining, with a cool breeze. Vegetation in the area included ferns, tall grasses, pine and birch trees, clover, low lying plants with broad leaves and a red stem, Saskatoon berry bush.
Along the base of the slope, there looked to be a disproportionately higher number of ferns (Athyrium filix-femina). But at higher elevations, taller trees such as pine and birch appeared to be dominant. This inspired my first question, how and why does the species composition change along the elevation gradient?
I noticed approximately five individuals of a bird species with a brown and white speckled stomach. They could possibly be brown thrashers. The birds seemed to be perching mostly in the Saskatoon berry bushes. This led to my second question, were the birds perched here because they had made nests within the branches, or are the berries a food resource?
Another possible study subject is the berry bushes themselves. I found myself wondering whether the number of berries on each bush was the same, and if not, was this due to a lack of resources (water, sunlight, soil nutrients) on one side of the field compared to another?
