Field Journal 1
I was apprehensive about going to the farm with only sneakers to protect my feet. I prayed to the farm gods that I would not encounter any deep bodies of water or would be able to finesse my way around them if I could.
When I got to the farm, it was a lot colder and windier than I expected. I was glad that I decided to wear a sweatshirt and long coat that day. The farm was also larger than I thought. I did not expect the tour to take 30 min. I thought that was an overestimate.
It was also my first time on a farm. I did not know that the ground would be made of dry, hay-like plant matter. While it was nice to see the stream and vernal pond, which is the location my group would be studying, I found the bike trail and the knowledge of nearby beaver dams to be the most exciting part of the tour. The bike trail was neatly paved and scenic trees lining both sides of the trail. I also was impressed by how much the beavers could affect water levels in the pond.
When it came time to explore the vernal ponds, my group shoved the BioCube in the first acceptable spot we could find. We wanted to hit the ground running as soon as possible and capture our needed pictures for the day. We nestled the cube under some trees and plants with half of it submerged in the dirty water.
We then took the little blue net and tried to fish in the water to find some moving organisms like bugs or salamanders. Sadly, we did find anything of the sort in the net. There was only mud and leaves that was scooped up in it.
At this point, my sneakers were soaked and I could not feel my toes. The cold wind also froze my fingers. I entertained the possibility of getting frostbite in the back of my head, but pushed on and vowed to buy boots the moment I got back on campus.
I tried to take the binoculars to spot some birds, but did not see any. Meanwhile, my group mates looked around and took pictures of the plants nearby. One plant that we were able to identify was called "Pussy Willow". It grey and fuzzy puffs at the ends of the tree's branches. We collected a sample from it.
During my 15 in of silence... there was literally silence. The only thing I could hear was the rustling of the wind and not much else. There were no birds calls in the distance. I was a bit disappointed and hoped to hear more things next visit when it will be warmer and birds will be more likely to come out to play,
Overall, this was a decent first visit to the farm. I could have lived without frozen feet and the freezing wind though.
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