2nd field visit

2nd Field Visit

September 30, 2018

Official photographs:

Panorama facing away from the lake

Picture of part of the game trail

Date: September 30, 2018

Time: 3:12 --3:50

Weather: Overcast with light rain showers, 5 mph winds from the West

Temperature: 50˚F

Temperature of the water: 65˚F

Length of Day: 11 hours, 45 minutes

Organism Observations: Although it was rainy today, there were significantly more animals present than during my last visit. There were numerous birds calling out to each other constantly. Unfortunately, they were very camera-shy, and I got only a few pictures. Right when I arrived, I saw a heron of some kind, most likely a green or juvenile great blue heron. Several other species of birds were flying around, mostly those who stay in the winter, such as cardinals, and chickadees. Several of them were calling out to one another, especially the cardinals. One other kind of bird was there, the only one I got a picture of, albeit at long range. It was sitting in a dead tree, and was quite large. I could not see enough of it to identify it, but it was most likely some kind of hawk. While walking to the lake, I came across some bark that had apparently fallen off the tree. On the inside of the bark was an insect that looked like a roly-poly bug, but it was too small, so it would be reasonable to assume that it has been carving some of the tunnels. Overall, there were more animals, but I still noticed a lack of mammals in the ecosystem.

Organism Photographs:

                                The Hawk is sitting in the dead tree looking for lunch

A little bug is sitting in the bark, perhaps it is the organism who carved the tunnels

Other Observations: A few trees have begun their turn to fall colors, so more pictures about that will probably be forthcoming. Also, I saw a few fish jumping in the water, so eventually, I would like try and catch one.

Other Photographs:

A rainy day at the lake

Leaves starting to turn fall colors

Questions/Comments: None at this time.

Alternate Research

Throughout this semester, I will also be undertaking a research project on Project Clarity, a group of people trying to restore the Macatawa Watershed, and clean up Lake Macatawa. My research into this topic is on the document linked here.
Research

1st field visit

1st Field Visit

September 7, 2018

Official photographs: I am planning on having two pictures that I will take from the same position each time. One is a panorama, and the other is just a normal picture of the forest.

Panorama facing away from the lake

Picture of part of the game trail

Date: September 7, 2018
Time: 4:21--4:56
Weather: Mostly cloudy, with 10 mph winds from the North
Temperature: 64˚F
Length of Day: 12 hours, 51 minutes
Organism Observations: I didn't see any major organisms, like large birds or mammals, but I did see signs that there were some animals that roamed here. Along the trail there was a fallen log that had tunnels that were probably made by some sort of insect. Also on that log were holes made by a woodpecker. I could here birds chirping to each other, but oddly, I never saw any flying around. On the culvert, there was a spider starting a web, and several honeybees buzzing from flower to flower. On the path, there was a small hold that was probably dug by a chipmunk or mole. There was heavy plant cover on the path to the lake. There were several plants I didn't recognize, and I made sure to get pictures of them. Although I'm not good at identifying plants, there were quite a few different kinds of plants and flowers. Even though I didn't see any major organisms, I did see a red squirrel along the road nearby when driving home(I almost hit it!). I hope to see more animals next time I'm here, and possibly catch a fish. In the pictures below, I have recorded the organisms I did find, and the mark they left on my plot.
Organism Photographs:

Insect tunnels, and some Woodpecker holes in a fallen tree

Little burrow of some critter(never did see him).

Spider beginning a web inside the culvert

Busy busy honeybee!

Who knows what cool critters could live here?

What are these plants?

 Purple Loosestrife? Boo!

Other Observations: I noticed a profound temperature difference between my plot, and my house 3 miles farther inland. I am also curious what kind of fish there are in this lake, so maybe I should bring fishing gear next time!
Other Photographs:

 Just a monkey taking a dip in the water.

Questions/Comments: I should have a thermometer for the water next time. Also, what is the history of this lake? Why didn't I see all the animals that should be in the area, like the birds and squirrels? Was that just coincidence, or was it something more that related to this specific ecosystem?

Introductory video

This video will introduce the location of my plot, the features in and around it, and the sounds of the area.

Maps of Field Study

Hand-drawn map of the plot.

Satellite image with features added in Skitch. The scale is 50 ft per inch.

Welcome to my Field Study!

Welcome to my Field Study! This will be updated periodically throughout the fall of 2018. Feel free to scroll through the logs of my visits. Thanks for coming!