For my field collection I have been sampling 3 locations in one backyard. I have been observing bird species richness when dogs are present in the yard and when they are absent in the yard. I have been doing 30 minute sessions twice a week tracking bird species with or without dog presence at different times of day. I have taken 10 replicates so far. Five replicates including observations with dogs present and five observations with dogs absent. I have noticed a very minimal trend that the total species richness is lower when dogs are present. It is not however as large of a difference as I was expecting it to be.
I am trying to determine if there is a better way to track the species in the different sessions (am I including enough important information). Should I include species richness and abundance?
Dog Present
| Species | Session 1 | Session 2 | Session 3 | Session 4 | Session 5 |
| Black-capped Chickadee | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| American Robin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Blue Jay | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Mourning Dove | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mallard Duck | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Canada Goose | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Downy Woodpecker | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| American Crow | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| House Sparrow | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Northern Flicker | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goldfinch | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chipping Sparrow | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total Species Richness | 9 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 8 |
Dog Absent
| Species | Session 1 | Session 2 | Session 3 | Session 4 | Session 5 |
| Black-capped Chickadee | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| American Robin | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Blue Jay | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Mourning Dove | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Merlin | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mallard Duck | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Canada Goose | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Downy Woodpecker | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| American Crow | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| House Sparrow | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Northern Flicker | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| American Goldfinch | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Chipping Sparrow | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Total Species Richness | 11 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 |
This is a summary of what I have been tracking so far. Not all of the information but just a snapshot of what I have been noticing.
Sounds like sampling is going well even if trends aren’t showing up as expected.