User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
The data that I collected in Module 3 did prove to be interesting. I was unsure how many birds and how many different species I would be able to observe in the hour and 15 minutes that I conducted the data collection. I saw four different species, three of which I was able to identify immediately, and one that I was able to later identify. I would consider this one difficulty in the study. I knew that I would of course not know all local species going into this study, but was unsure if I would be able to properly identify any that I did not already know. On this day, I was able to take a few photos of the species that I was unable to identify, which made it significantly easier in identifying at a later time with more resources.
The location where I collected the data was at Location A of my test site, which is where I anticipated finding the most variety of bird species as well as abundance. At this location there is a clearing with bird feeders. There are also park benches, and therefore tends to have more people present. On the day where I collected data, it was not only raining, but I collected data at 8am. I saw very few people, which may have affected the bird’s behaviour or presence.
I did choose to modify my approach in that in my full field research for this assignment, I observed the number of species and their abundance at three separate locations, points A, B, and C. The proximity to the bird feeders, to more human traffic, and to a clearing in the forest all the three variables which I chose to observe for this study. The sampling technique proved effective. I was not observing the location for so long that I lost patience, concentration, or interest. I think an hour of observing each day is an appropriate and sustainable amount of time to allot to the observations.
