Topic: ERS 246 Outing 3

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.

Posted on October 24, 2019 08:47 PM by