Diario de ajagroop

19/11/29
1000
1 hr
Waterloo Park
Cloudy, approx. 0 celsius
Woody area, lawn

There was snow on the ground when we went to waterloo park, so I wasn’t expecting to see many animals. There were a few geese and crows at the park along with one blue jay and a cardinal. I would have thought that they have migrated south for the winter, but they were still in Ontario. There were no squirrels were seen which I thought was odd as I still see them on campus. I thought with waterloo park being a public place, that there would be food left by humans that the squirrels would be trying to get that even if it is their hibernation period. We just walked by the paths so animals might be avoiding it as they know those areas have high human traffic. The trees at the park had most if not all of their leaves gone so identifying them was difficult but were still able to make out some maples and pines. We identified the maples with the leaves on the ground, I suspect that there is also some trembling aspen but I’m unfamiliar with what their leaves look like while not on the branch. Making out smaller brushes was even more difficult, and none were identified to meaningful level.

19/10/30
0930
1 hr
Becthel Park
Cloudy
Boreal Forest

Becthel Park had a forested area with a river running through it so it was expected that there would be a decent amount of animal activity but that was not the case. While walking though the paths, the only animals that were seen were some squirrels in the trees and on the forest floor. I presume that other animals like birds or chipmunks have prepared to migrate or hibernate around this time as winter was nearing. It may have just been too cold for them that day as it was cloudy that day. Wasn’t expecting any large mammals as this park is in the middle of urban development and it would be difficult for them to reach the park. Also, we stayed in the path which may have influenced what we found as animals might know that that’s where people are and would avoid moving close to it. The river had no visible life from just looking at it from the shore, but it was likely that some small fish and invertebrates were hiding in the rock on the bottom. The trees that were seen the most were maples with some pines and iron woods. There were other trees we saw during our walk but their family was unknown to us.

19/09/20
1345
1 hr
Huron Natural Area
Sunny, Humid, 27 celsius
Wetland/Boreal Forest

We when to the park and did our observation near the shore of the lake. We saw frogs, squirrels and birds, which is what was expected. Being early fall/late summer, it was still warm enough to see frogs which would normally have been hibernating for the colder winter months as they are rely heavily on their environment’s temperature. It was still very sunny and warm when we were there so there were other people there too, so that may have affected the number of animals we saw as they have been scared away. The squirrels also hibernate during the winter, but it was expected to see them as they tend to be seen even when there is snow on the ground. There were a few birds in the trees, but they were too far up to see any defining characteristics except that they were small in size. The vegetation is what one would expect around a lake. There are species that like to grow by bodies of water like the willow and other species that are typical throughout the waterloo region like goldenrods. Was surprised at the lack of geese or ducks at a lake in warm temperatures .

19/11/21
1130
30 min
Clair Lake Park
Overcast, approx. 0 celsius, little wind
Lawn park with woody edges

During the outing there were very few animals that could be seen or heard. Likely due to the time of year and the location of the park. The park is surrounded by urban development so only small mammals and birds have easy access to it. The fragmentation of the habitat is too much for larger mammals to make their way to the park without walking in roads and people’s property. Squirrels and chipmunks were the only visible animals at the park, and this is what was expected. The squirrels and chipmunks were likely collecting food or hiding it for the winter as they hibernate and occasionally leave their homes to look for food that they have hid the fall previous. There were a few birds at, but they were in seen but could be heard. I was expecting to see a few geese as there is a small lake in the park and there are still geese seen at in the water at UWaterloo. The birds are likely about to start their migration to southern climates as they do not spend their time in Canada during the winter. The species of plants found at the park are fairly typical for a park in southern Ontario. White Burch, Pines and different maples can be seen all around Waterloo and Willows can be found next to bodies of water.