My design for my field research project was originally set up at as a transect with random points. I was having challenges with the stats collection of individuals present as my counts were much higher than my estimates of bird in area. Individuals would fly from one area to the next and I was counting them twice. I altered my design to be a variable circular plot method this appeared to be providing more accurate results. I had performed 15 replicates at four sites (McConnell Lake, Dufferin Wetlands Park, Gamble Pond, and Pineview Valley Park). This was going well until I recognized that my study design may be flawed and I wouldn’t be able to control for confounding factors. My initial hypothesis was that male Red-winged blackbirds would be present in higher densities as temperatures increased. Luckily for me, as I was recording my data I was also evaluating activity and aggressiveness. I did notice that females arrived much later than the males. While the males had been active I hadn’t witnessed any aggressiveness between them which I would expect to occur as they establish their territories. Once the females arrived aggression increased. Due to this ancillary pattern and the constant challenges I was having testing my other hypothesis, I have decided to test for aggressiveness and see if lower densities of females are related to higher aggression in males. And, if higher densities in females is related to higher aggression in females. Because of this, I have decide that the basic method of using a transect line and points is more suitable. For this I will simply focus on Dufferin Wetlands and I feel I can control for wind there. Wind has presented challenges with counts as when it was really windy I wouldn’t see or hear the birds in some locations. Overall my field experiment has taken me on a rather bumpy road.
Good luck continuing on that road. Have you collected any data for your new hypothesis and with your new methods?