My field research project was conducted in my backyard in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is quite isolated from neighboring backyards. The coordinates include 49.799020 and 97.14482282. It has flat topography and is 55’- 60’ in size.
I visited it on April 22nd, 2023, at 5:34 pm. It was 3 degrees Celsius with a wind speed of 24 m/s and humidity about 36%.
The backyard consists of three different entrances. One from the main door, another from the back door and lastly from the door near the garage. There are red pine trees on the sidewalks which are adjacent to the backyard. Even though the backyard is fully fenced, the cones of these trees cover the backyard’s ground. There is a bird bath near the deck and some branches have fallen from trees making a favorable habitat for white-tailed jackrabbits. American elm tree planted at the very end where birds like house sparrow nests. Some other species that I have observed are American red squirrel, blue jay, and white-tailed deer (when the entrance near the garage is left open).
Three potential questions are:
- In what ways do anthropological activities affect house sparrow abundance and survival?
- Is there a difference between the vocalizations of red squirrels when they address approaching predators and during mate calls?
- What is the impact of climate change on trees in the north?
While it is totally ok to use your backyard or another urban environment you will have to keep in mind what sort of question will work well for your study site. You will have to have a question that is spatially appropriate for your study area and you can have replication. You will get more into these sorts of details in the next couple of modules.