ABI 150 Section A: Refining Methods and Data Tables

 Our class time today was dedicated to working through what worked and what did not work with our initial methods of data collection, as well as editing our data tables.

Hannah first led us through deciding how we wanted to collect our data for the distance of a black-necked stilt to another bird. There were a few different suggestions after last Thursday’s data collection trial; to use an aerial map, to continue using range finders, to estimate distance, or to use binning. The class decided that we would continue to use the range finders, and we will need to purchase a few more so that each group can use one.

Next, we discussed how frequently we wanted to record our observations, with the intention being to be consistent with taking our observations for the time budget, the foraging rate, and the distance between the stilts and another bird. There were a few concerns about whether or not there was enough time to write down data for the distances within 30 seconds, as well as if we would be comfortable holding up the binoculars for an extended period of time. In the end, we settled on conducting our observations during a 7-minute window. For the time budget, that means there will be a total of 7 observations of what the stilt is doing at that minute mark; this is the same for the distance; you collect data for 7 total check-ins. For the foraging rate, that means continuous data collection for the entire 7-minute observation period.

While there was some discussion about changing it, we did decide to keep the group sizes to 4 people. 1 note-taker is dedicated to data collection for foraging rate and time budget, and they’re working with 1 observer who is sharing what they see. Another note-taker is responsible for data collection for the distance between the stilts and another bird, and they have 1 person who is using the range finder to give them the data.

To conduct our observations, we made a list of materials we would need. I believe Marshall already put in an order for a few more range finders, and then we will hopefully be purchasing lawn chairs to make our data collection a bit more of a comfortable experience.

For the data table we’re using for the time budgets, we added two new categories based on things we noticed last Thursday. We will now be recording behaviors for if the black-necked stilts are being territorial, such as chasing another bird (which they seem to do a lot), and for flying around. There were multiple instances where the bird we were watching flew around and returned to the same spot, so we were able to continue our observations. We think we saw some mating behaviors last week, but it wasn’t clear, so we also added an “other” category to the time budget. 

At the end of class, we discussed whether or not time of day is a variable when it comes to black-necked stilt activity. It hasn’t always been easy to find the stilts for our observations in the past few weeks, and factoring in time of day could be interesting for our research. Based on this, the class decided to split into two groups this coming Thursday. One group is going to meet up early, I believe, between 6:00 AM and 6:30 AM, and then head to the Yolo Bypass and potentially the Davis Wetland area. The rest of the class will meet at 10:00 AM like normal and go to the same locations. At some point, when the first group is concluding their observations, the whole class is going to meet up and discuss what worked and what didn’t. This will allow the second group to implement any necessary changes as soon as possible.



We are also going to submit individual ideas of what we think the final Excel and R data sheet should look like when we are finished with our observations. This should allow each person to have an input on the final decision.