My data collection is now complete, and overall, the process was very nice. I focused on observing Black-capped Chickadee and their behavioural patterns at Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg. I did this research to better understand how habitat structure and different sites influences chickadee abundance, foraging behaviour, and caching activity during winters.
I collected data from 3 sites: deciduous area, coniferous area, and deciduous-coniferous area. Main observation was based on vocalization, group size, and caching behaviour. The weather condition some days with wind made it difficult to observe and record, so it took more time than normal. Another issue came up due to the size of the birds which is pretty small and the presence of deciduous tress made it even more hard. But all in all I was able to collect the data and saw that chickadees were consistently in groups of 4-5 individuals in mixed habitat and in groups of 2-3 individuals in coniferous habitat. They were also pretty vocal in mixed habitat and not so much in others. Some of the challenges made me aware about some different strategies such as using a spotting scope to observe individuals or even to add more time in observation.