Diario de jefry_green37

Duration: 60 Minutes
Location: Ayr, Outskirts
Weather: Cold, around 0 degrees,
Habitat: Forest, Fields, Pond, River

Species ID'd:

-Weeping Willow (Salix babylonica)
-Common Raven (Corvus corax)
-Raibow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
-Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu)
-Great Blue Haron (Ardea herodias)
-White-tail Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
-Ringneck Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)

For my final excursion, I took advantage of my grandparents' farm located on the outskirts of Ayr, Ontario. The farm is 97 acres, and contains an abundance of wildlife and diverse ecosystems as it is purely recreational, and does not house any loud equipment that would otherwise be impactful.

Before I began, I used the outlook platform that overlooks the field to discover a female white tailed deer. It seemed to be alone, and eventually scampered off into the brush.

I proceeded around the front-end perimeter of the property, which runs parallel to Reidsville Road. I wanted to get a good grasp of the edge effects that roads can usually cause. Some observations included litter, with multiple cars driving way over the speed limit. The closer I was to the road, the less wildlife I encountered, which was to be expected.

As I approached the field, I saw a group of black figures at the other end. As I continued to approach it turned out to be a flock of ring-neck pheasants! My grandfather and I have released 3 groups pheasants into the farm's ecosystem, (although we had to re-release the first group as our lab returned them all to the barn, alive). The flock seemed unbothered by my presence, as slowly scampered into the brush.

I crossed a nearby bridge connecting to a nearby cornfield, that is quite barren this time of year. I identified a murder of crows who seemed to feasting on the withered remains of the annual harvest.

I tried to get a better glimpse of aquatic life in the nearby river that boarders the field, however the water here was quite shallow most likely containing chemical runoff from the crop field. This however sparked my interest into heading to some of the more inland ponds, otherwise known as the ponds that are named after my aunt and mom.

"Joni Cove" and "Jenny Trout" are two very different bodies of water. On one hand, Jenny Trout is connected to the Nith River, and has a constant flow of fresh water. Due to the undisturbed habitat, the water is quite clear, making it easy to see the aquatic residents that reside there. I was able to identify 2 rainbow trout swimming about. Overhanging the pond were a few weeping willow trees.

Joni Cove on the other hand is completely isolated from the Nith River, and consists of the ground water the property uses on for well water. This pond is much deeper than Jenny Trout, with the water being dark and murky. While I know there are small mouth bass inhabiting the pond, I was unable to identify any. My best guess was that they are deep in the pond in order to stay warmer. As I was trying to find bass, I was startled when a Great Blue Heron took off from the reeds.

My general findings of this expedition were substantially higher (and more interesting) than what I had seen over the semester in Waterloo sites; the absence of humans has allowed for many different species to thrive with minimal interference, aside from the habitats edge effects.

Time and Date: 19/11/17
Duration: 30 Minutes (30 including travel time)
Location: Laurel Creek Conservation Area, Waterloo, ON
Weather: Cold, around 2 Degrees Celsius, overcast, slightly windy
Habitat: Brush, open field
Species ID'd:
-Grey Squirrel (Sciuris carolinensis)
-Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus florianus)
-Domestic Dog (Canis lupus familiaris)
-Eastern Chipmunks (Tamias striatus)
-Winterberry Tree (Ilex verticillata)
-Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus)
-Canadian Goose (Branta canadensis)

For my final outing, I went to a local park in a neighbourhood off of Westmount. By now most of the non-coniferous trees have lost all of their leaves, with the leaves forming into beautiful piles mixed in with the crispy white snow on the ground.

In some of the more dense foliage consisting of Eastern white pine, I noticed a single grey squirrel (Sciuris carolinensis) climbing on top of a discarded deck chair.

My goal for this excursion was to take advantage of the fresh snow on the ground, in order to more accurately identify tracks and footprints left by wildlife. I was able to identify 3 different species that were scattered evenly across the field.

The first set of tracks consisted of individual pairs of long narrow feet, with an immediately adjacent set of small four-toed paws. I identified this to be set of cottontail prints; most likely grey or red, as they seemed to be the most frequently spotted in the area.

The second set of prints were easily identifiable as a breed of canine, as many of the neighbours surrounding this area. I confirmed this entry when I noticed the tracks led to a pile of stool. This struck a curiosity chord inside me, and when I got home I researched into the environmental impact of domestic canine stool that owners don't pick up. A brief research period discussed how around 20% of bacteria in Seattle watersheds can be traced back to the stomachs of canines due to storm drain runoff, indicating it as a large contaminant.

The final set of prints was somewhat perplexing, as they were much smaller and found on the side of rock. The tiny paws with claws scattered around, possibly indicating a species of vermin. I compared the sizes of the prints with squirrels and chipmunks, to see if could get a better understanding to identify the species. Upon examination it was obvious that the prints I found were too large to be ground squirrels, thus it was plausible to deem them to be Eastern Chipmunks (Tamias striatus).

I concluded my field outing by exiting south of the park, noticing a beautiful winter berry tree (Ilex verticillata) coming into full bloom, being beautifully complimented with the snow and setting sun, with a flock of geese passing overhead.

Time and Date: 19/10/12
Duration: 60 Minuites
Location: Claire Lake Park, Old Post Greenway, Beechwood District, Waterloo, ON
Weather: Mild, around 12 Degrees Celsius, no clouds, winds were calm
Habitat: Forested, a few man-made trails, pond

Species ID'd:
-Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus florianus)
-Maple Tree (Acer)
-Red Oak (Quercus rubra)
-Common Black Squirrel (Sciuris carolinensis)
-American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus)

Took a walk through the various trails that are found within the small patches of green areas within the Beechwood residential area. Accompanying me this time, was my 8-month old dog, Luna.

Luna and I proceeded to head over to Old Post Greenway, which is a patch of natural land behind Beechwood housing; and because of this, there wasn't very much presence of wildlife in the are, with a few notable exceptions. I noticed a pair of Eastern Hares peacefully grazing off to the side of the trail, who even peacefully acknowledged my young puppy and her eagerness to chase them. The trees in the park were noticeably more colourful, with shades of red, yellow, and orange becoming more increasingly prominent than my previous Field Excursion in September. Some of the trees could be identified as red oak, and a few maple trees.

Once Luna and I entered Claire Lake (a green area about 6 times larger than Old Post), and this was when the local wildlife of the Beechwood district became much more apparent. I first noticed

We entered from the Eastern side, and immediately noticed a scurry of squirrels, to which I identified as Sciuris carolinensis, or the common black squirrel. My initial count upon seeing them came out to 7, all of which were scurrying about, searching through leaves to which I guessed included foraging for the coming winter months. However, as I progressed through shaded areas of the park I noticed around a dozen or so more, with a few grey squirrels as well.

The pond was nicely tucked away with a mixture of foliage and man made structures, like dams and rocks, with overhanging foliage including willow trees river brush. Luna went on high alert once we approached the pond, as floating atop were several mallards, along with a single heron. I was unsure of the species immediately, so I recorded its characteristics:

-Brown
-Black beak
-small, about 2 feet tall

After researching local herons, it was evident that this species could be identified as an American bittern.

Additionally, the water was not clear enough to identify any fish species, nor were they any local amphibians on the shoreline.

As Luna and I exited the park, we also noticed a cardinal flying to what looked a birdfeeder as it was outside of residents backyard.

Time and Date: 19/09/20
Duration: 45 Minutes (65 including travel time)
Location: Laurel Creek Conservation Area, Waterloo, ON
Weather: Warm, around 20 Degrees Celsius, almost no clouds, slight breeze
Habitat: Shoreline, Brush,

Species ID'd:
-Common loon (Gavia immer)
-White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis)
-Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)
-Maple Tree (Acer)
-Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus)
-White Spruce (Picea glauca)
-Canadian Geese (Branta canadensis)

Travelled over to the Beechwood Area for my Friday Afternoon Tennis game. After which, I took my bike over to the Laurel Creek Conservation Area. The temperature was quite moderate, with the warm sun countering the cool breeze coming off of the lake. I passed a small shoreline grove, where I noticed a flock of about a dozen loons, which i identified as the common loon (Gavia immer), as the other loons in the area include the red-throated and pacific loon, neither of which showcased characteristics that separated them from the common loon. I continued to travel around the conservation areas' perimeter trail, where I proceeded to enter more densely forested area. There was a healthy mix of coniferous and deciduous trees, some of which I was able to identify as a spruce, cedars and firs. Most trees were still green, with hints of yellow indicating the impending annual colour change as Fall approaches.

After getting all the around the perimeter trail, I entered the enclosed section of the conservation area, containing the sandy beachfront, with notable aquatic plant life such as algae, being visible from the shoreline.

It was interesting to make the connection to an earlier study in ENVS 200, where we had taken water samples on the Laurel Creek section that runs through UW campus. Our results indicated high levels on nitrogen, particularly in sections that were upstream and closer to Columbia Lake. When I entered the beachfront area on my field expedition, it was critical that I watch my step as, what I assumed were goose droppings. In our 200 study, we theorized that there were increased nitrogen levels due to the goose population, so it was interesting to see that be confirmed.

There were only geese (Branta canadensis) swimming out in the lake, most likely preparing to fly south.