Over the past few weeks, I have been immersed in early morning observations across three key sites. Here’s a look at how the data collection phase has unfolded, the challenges faced, and some unexpected observations that have prompted me to think critically about my initial hypothesis.
Replicates and Data Collection
Throughout the designated data collection period from July 21 to August 9, I aimed to gather comprehensive data by conducting point count observations at each site for 20 days. Each site visit involved a 30-minute observation session, adhering to the timing planned to optimize bird activity observation:
Riverside Park: 10:15 AM to 11:30 AM
Peterson Creek: 6:30 AM to 7:45 AM
Kenna Cartwright Park: 8:10 AM to 9:35 AM
In total, I completed 60 observation sessions across the three sites, ensuring a robust dataset for analyzing trends in bird diversity and abundance concerning urbanization.
Challenges in Implementation
While the point count method has proven effective in capturing valuable data, several challenges have emerged during its implementation:
- Scheduling and Timing: Juggling the strict morning schedules to fit within the peak activity times for birds across different sites proved to be more complex than anticipated. The need to account for travel time between sites required precise timing and occasionally led to shortened observation periods when delays occurred.
- Environmental Interference: Unexpected environmental factors, such as sudden weather changes and occasional human disturbances (especially in Riverside Park), sometimes disrupted the observation sessions, leading to variability in data quality across days.
Ancillary Patterns and Reflections
An interesting pattern emerged during the data collection that has led me to reconsider aspects of my hypothesis. While I anticipated a clear gradient in bird diversity from natural to urban settings, the suburban (Peterson Creek) and urban (riverside park) sites exhibited occasional spikes in bird diversity and abundance respectively that rivalled even Kenna Cartwright Park. This observation suggests that suburban areas might serve as significant habitats for certain bird species, possibly due to a mix of natural elements and human-induced changes. And the urban area might be home to a bunch of naturalized exotic populations.
These ancillary findings hint at a more complex interaction between urbanization and bird populations than initially thought, suggesting that intermediate levels of urban development might also offer valuable ecological niches for diverse bird species.