The location I have chosen to observe is a small segment of Mill Lake Park in Abbotsford, BC. I chose to situate myself on the North side of the lake, at the fourth bench from the parking lot. The co-ordinates were N49°2’44.36117″; W122°18’51.40163″. The altitude of my area is approximately 33.4m.
The area is approximately 80 ft by 50 ft. It is comprised of a paved walking path, a grassy field area, a picnic table and bench area, a 2 ft retaining wall, and opens on to the man-made lake front.
Mill Lake, Abbotsford, BC
My first visit to the park occurred on Tuesday September 10, 2019 from 17:30-17:45. The weather was partially cloudy. Sunset was anticipated at 19:33 that evening. No rain was measured. The temperature was 20.1°C; humidity was 48.1%; pressure was 756.99 mmHg; and light was 3173 lux. During the 15 minute period that I was recording, I observed 53 people, 2 domesticated dogs, 3 bees, 32 ducks, and 33 Canadian geese. The ducks and geese were located in the water or on the shoreline before the 2 ft retaining wall. The people and dogs stayed predominantly on the paved walking path. The bees kept trying to land on my shirt but otherwise stayed air bound while I could observe them. The geese were the most vocal of all the animals observed. One would begin honking and then a group of 10 or more would take to the air, all honking and fly toward another group of geese who would respond in kind by taking to the air, honking, and then both groups would settle in new positions on the lake. The interaction appeared neither aggressive nor friendly.
I also observed several plant species though have been so far unable to identify any definitively. I believe that they include poplar trees, British Columbia fir trees, waterlily, and a bush that I was informed was called “Butterfly bush” – though a quick google search indicated that this could be any number of species.
I left the lake with several questions. 1) Why are the geese honking at each other? Is this play, territoriality, general communication of a threat, or aggression? 2) What are all of the plants in this area? 3) Will the populations of different species observed vary in correlation with the temperature or weather conditions?
This final question is where I believe I will focus my energies in this field study.
