Once I completed research on what is the best type of design for understanding bird abundance (point counts), I did not change my design. There was a bit of trial and error when it came to mapping out each gradient and making sure each gradient had the same amount of point counts (after receiving feedback) and each area was representative of what I wanted to study. If I had to complete this project without feedback, I would have been very lost. This project has allowed me to understand firsthand, how complex research is in ecology. There are so many areas to consider, and a great amount of planning must be put into it. One specific area that was challenging was field work: it entails a lot of preparation and when conducting observations, one must be accurate and develop a good system for note-taking. I am really thankful I have been able to gain this experience as it has allowed me to appreciate how ecological theory is developed.