For my data collection I did find it hard because there was substantially less data than I anticipated, and my data is less birds visiting my yard. The data I collected was not that surprising other than I wish that there was more birds visiting my yard so I had more birds to look at for 30 minutes.
I am currently debating other ways to record my data but I do think this is the best way, even though there is less birds than I was hoping to see. I am debating if instead of reviewing multiple bird feeders and surveying them twice a day, I wonder if I should examine one bird feeder multiple times a day.
This picture is an example of the data I collected for one day. I seem to see the same types of birds daily but the number does fluctuate.
Hi AMYVINC3NT! I decided to review your hypotheses and experimental design as we both are investigating bird activity around our yard. Looking at your hypothesis, you state “My hypothesis is that there will be an increase in birds present when there is more food available. I also think this will create bigger birds and in turn may increase the bird population long term (bird weight/mass would be continous), considering we are getting whether uncommon for our area.” As your second hypothesis is measuring the bird’s weight, and bird population over the long term, it will be difficult to measure these data points during this course. If this is going to be considered in your research paper, you will need to provide methods for obtaining the bird’s weight at different times and methods of viewing birds’ offspring over time. I believe it would be in your best interest to focus on your first hypothesis because the only method required is observing the bird’s activity around the bird feeders. This hypothesis will easily be measurable in your field setting and will be able to be completed with minimal equipment. Following up on your design reflections, I see you may change your experimental design by increasing the frequency of observing the birds during the day. I think that is a great decision. I have questioned to do this for my project, as I am questioning if birds may prefer to eat at different times of day. Right now I am observing for an hour in the mornings. It may limit the understanding of the birds behaviour and feeding patterns.