Post 5: Design Reflections

In an attempt to avoid mistakes, I tried to use a simple strategy/approach for sampling. Due to the convenient nature of the location I chose to observe the ducks, I utilized haphazard sampling, which uses non-random participants due to the convenience of the population.  Unfortunately, this method of sampling reduces the degree to which the results/data can be generalized to the larger population of mallards. If I had the proper resources/time/knowledge of the area(s), I would have utilized a more randomized sampling method, and multiple sampling sites so that my results could be more generalizable and reliable. 

Because I am looking for differences in time spent actively foraging and time spent on the periphery of the raft/water between male and female mallards, the method I used to collect data involved setting a five-minute timer, set to vibrate to reduce disturbance, and utilizing two stopwatches to record one mallard at a time. Stopwatch one was used to time the amount of time the observed mallard spent actively foraging over the five minutes (each time the mallard stopped foraging the stopwatch was paused and would be resumed once the mallard resumed foraging activities). Stopwatch two was used to record the time spent on the periphery of the group, closer to the water’s edge (once the observed mallard crossed an estimated line separating the periphery of the waters and the center/deeper areas, the stopwatch was paused). Once the five-minute timer went off, both stopwatches were stopped and the times were recorded. Because I have found no difficulties in collecting my data this way, I will likely continue. 

However, I may stop collecting data for the time spent on the periphery of the group/waters because I am unable to manipulate the environment to create a reliable means of determining whether or not the mallard is on the periphery or has crossed over to the center of the water/group. This data may yield unreliable. The data collected in this study for time spent foraging may still be great information if I choose to create a future research project analyzing time spent in various flock/raft positions between male and female mallards.

The data I have collected so far is not surprising. Because I spent a few days observing the mallards before data collection, I had already noticed that females seemed to spend more time actively foraging while male mallards spent less time actively foraging with more time swimming in between bouts of foraging behaviours. The data I have collected thus far supports the observations made.