This area is a little more than 20 acres of my backyard that is located in Prince George, British Columbia. The area is called Cranbrook hill and the coordinates are 53.91420, -122.84385 with an average elevation of 658 m above sea level . The vast majority of the 20 acres is a flat field that borders a large forest on the south and smaller forest (5 acres) on the north side. This area also contains a small water stream that travels through a coulee/gully which connects the North and South swamps/ponds. There is also a man-made pond within close proximity of our house. The forest consists of pine, birch, spruce and a variety of plants/weeds.
My first official naturalistic observation of the area was the evening (19:00) of May 15, 2022. The weather was cool, cloudy and there was a light breeze. It had also rained not that long ago. I would like to study wildlife such as birds and mammals that pass through the field and forest area. I would also like to study the wild variety of vegetation in the various different topographies. The following are questions I would like to pursue:
- How does habitat quality influence bird diversity? For example, the number of ponds/swamps will increase the abundance of ducks. Crows, pigeons, and hawks are more active in an open field. Hummingbirds are more present in areas with hummingbird feeders and flowers.
- How does the vegetation change when comparing in the forest to in an open field? For example, more vegetation is exposed to sunlight in a field whereas the understory of forests are more limited because they are sheltered by tall trees.
- How does the vegetation change with different levels of water? For example, In an open field vs. beside/within a creek, swamp, and/or pond?
References
Cranbrook Hill Topographic map, elevation, relief. topographic. (n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2022, from https://en-ca.topographic-map.com/maps/d1a1/Cranbrook-Hill/
Google. (n.d.). Google maps. Retrieved May 25, 2022, from https://www.google.com/maps/place