The idea for my field research project came from enjoying the view of birds in my backyard feasting on the fruit trees before I ever started this course. I noticed that the pear and peach tree always seemed to be full of birds while the plum trees only had a few avian visitors. This casual observation became the impetus for my field research project, to determine whether certain fruit trees are preferred over others by both resident and migratory bird species. My hypothesis was that the older, more well-established fruit trees would attract a greater diversity and abundance of birds than the younger, still growing plum trees. The ecological processes important to my research project include, species-environment interactions and habitat preferences for bird species in suburban areas.
Keywords: biodiversity; wild birds; point count method