The area I have chosen for my study is Dallas-Barnhartvale Nature Park in Kamloops which is a series of trails close to where I live. The specific location is in a small canyon on a trail called the Hoodoo trail. I visited the site on June 1st 2023 at 6:00pm. It is early summer and it was mostly sunny with only a few clouds in the sky. The environment is semi-arid and the landscape is dominated by sage bushes, however, in the study area there are a few coniferous trees. There are also wild flowers and several species of wild grass. I noticed many different species of birds and I could hear them constantly singing. I also heard the call of a bird of prey, but it was too far to tell what species it was. There were a few different insect species such as ants and flies.
Some questions I thought of when visiting the site are:
- How does the biodiversity in this semi-arid environment compare with a more temperate environment?
- Why is the landscape dominated by sage bushes?
- Do the different bird species compete for nesting space and food due to the limited trees in the area.
Here are some pictures of the study area:
You have a great study area! How big is it? Your questions are very interesting ones though likely too broad for this course. For example, in the first question you would need to sample a more temperate environment. As you work through the next couple of modules and visit your study site you will narrow in something that works.