savitao's Journal

Time and Date: 04/11/2019 15:30-16:40
Duration: 70 minutes
Location: Huron Natural Area
Weather: Overcast, light rain, bursts of wind and 8 degrees.
Habitat: Wetland, trails, forest, meadow, ponds

Monday November 4th my classmate/friend and I went to Huron natural area to do our first field journal for the month of November. It was raining slightly when we arrived and continued to sprinkle on/off throughout the duration of our time there. We started out in a meadow habitat where the recent snow and overnight frost had made many of the vegetation communities go into dormancy. The wild carrot which i had observed in two previous journal outings was no longer in bloom and almost all of the Canada goldenrods were no longer yellow. As we walked through the meadow portion we saw a crow overhead and heard a few other bird species (unfortunately neither of us are birders and could only speculate about what they might be). Another bird species we saw on this outing was the Canada goose.
At one point i noticed a few burrs had attached themselves to my leg, which got me thinking about the dispersal methods of different plant species. I noticed a milkweed seed pod still attached to the white fibers so that it could increase its dispersal range. Buckthorn berries are also an example of how quick dispersal can be achieved when interacting with other species. In this case of mutualism a species can eat the berry and gain nutritional benefits while aiding in the dispersal of the buckthorn seeds.
There were a lot of signs promoting the protection for the Blandings turtle, a threatened species which can be found at Huron Natural Area.

Evidence of beavers were apparent throughout the outing including: a beaver dam in one of the waterbodies, teeth marks on trees, and trees that had been felled by beavers.
I noticed a lot of goldenrod gall fly galls, usually in clusters.

There was a sign which listed a few different species that could be found within the natural area including the red-backed salamander - maybe ill come back on a warmer day in the spring/summer to see if I can find any!

Time and Date: 17:30 15/10/19 16
Duration: 90 minutes
Location: Gatineau Park (Quebec)
Weather: partly cloudy, 11 degrees (dropped to 6 degrees by the time I was done), wind read 23km/h
Habitat: (changed as I hiked) evergreen forest (hemlock), rocky hillside, oaks.

The Tuesday of reading week I went for a hike in Gatineau park (QC) with a friend. The hike took up through different types of habitat as it was on a mountainside and I credited the drastic change in landscape on windcover and altitude. I later learned (via the info plaques along the trail) that the wide variation of habitat types is due to the rapid change of three influential abiotic factors: water, light, and soil variation throughout the trail. Most of the soil was nutrient poor, and so mosses dominate as a primary type of vegetation and provided suitable conditions for the eastern hemlock which dominated as a habitat type (evergreen forest).
Halfway done the hike we found ourselves at the mountainside which gave a wonderful view of the forest below (pictured) as well as a clearly defined visual boundary of landscape change from protected park area to farmland, and Ottawa in the near distance. It was interesting to see how different vegetation communities/habitats occupied the park boundary, and how scale is important for land use. I wonder if there is much influence from the farmland on the ecological integrity of the park, and if a buffer zone has been established.
One thing I did notice was how little I was able to ID! Most of my ID skills have been developed and practiced around southern Ontario/Waterloo region. The diversity in moss and fungi species really made me want to learn more about moss ID!
I did not see many mammals (other than a few squirrels) but that was probably due to the trail traffic and noise level other hikers were making. I did notice one really nice cavity in a tree which I believe would make a great place for a bat roost or shelter for other animals.
I would like to come back to this hike during other times of the year to see how vegetation changed depending on season, one lower lying area of the hike seemed to have a few wetland vegetation species suggesting a potential seasonal wetland which would might attract different animals during breeding season/migration.

Topic: ERS 246 Outing #2
Time and Date: 30/09/19 11:00
Duration: 60 minutes
Location: Along the Grand River for Water Sampling in Preston
Weather: Sunny and 15 degrees
Habitat: trail along the river bank, in the grand river

Monday September 30th I was taking water samples and measuring water quality in the Grand River. While I went to many sites along the Grand I took some time to note species present at the Preston upstream location. The trail was lightly trafficked by people out walking their dogs and runners. Along the river bank I noted some duckweed and an American toad.

I also came across a skeleton and skull which I thought was very neat to see just after our skull lab! I didn’t touch it as I didn’t have any gloves with me but I would have liked to take a closer look at the dental pattern and try to ID the species (I’m pretty sure it was a bird but don’t know which species). I also liked seeing the vertebrae and ribs still intact and picked clean in the wild!

In order to get to the site I had to go off the path and was very careful due to the presence of Giant Hogweed and Giant Angelica in the area. I remember watching the hogweed and Angelica grow taller and taller throughout the summer and finally flowering around July. Those members of the Apiaceae family are very dangerous but I find their defense mechanisms super interesting! When the sap contacts skin it makes it incredibly photosensitive – for this reason when sampling at this location I am always very aware of what route I’m taking to the bank and wear long sleeves.

When in the river I kept an eye out for any minnows, fish, or benthics- I saw a few minnows which I was not able to identify and a cray fish.

Time and Date: 19/09/18 12:25
Duration: 45 minutes
Location: Waterloo Park, Waterloo, ON
Weather: Sunny and 24 degrees
Habitat: Pond, trails, garden

I went for a walk around Waterloo park in the Afternoon. There were many people biking and walking along the paths. I noticed a lot of Canada goldenrod throughout the entirety of my walk. The main three areas I focused my observations around were around silver lake, the garden surrounding the east gazebo, and along the LRT tracks. There was a group of people feeding mallards and Canadian geese breadcrumbs along the waterfront which also attracted squirrels. Two great blue herons were perched on a log and a rock in the middle of silver lake. I tried to see what fish might have attracted them to this pond but could not see much from my vantage point. Throughout my walk I heard other bird calls as well but was unable to identify which species produced these calls (something to practice!). I saw pollinators such as monarchs and the common eastern bumble bee in the garden area surrounding the gazebo. They were attracted to the hydrangeas and black-eyed Susan which were in bloom.

This first field journal made me much more conscious of the impact’s humans have in a natural park area like Waterloo park. A few examples of this are: the excessive amount of wild carrot (native to Europe and Asia), the fragmentation caused by the LRT tracks, bird feeders, people feeding wildlife, and gardens planted with non-native flowers (Chickory).