Hi, I’m Maddy and I am one of the undergraduate students blogging here about our work for our final year research projects.
For my project, I will be carrying out a series of bird surveys on the Whiteknights campus to explore the range of species that can be found in some of the varying habitats in this area. My chosen survey areas are the campus lake, the grasslands which lie either side of the lake, the woodlands which run between Earley Gate and Harborne, and the Harris Gardens. I have chosen these areas as they cover a range of habitats, and I believe will contain the large majority of species that can also be seen elsewhere on campus. These surveys will be performed at both dawn and dusk, as these are usually when most species are active, and will use both visual and aural identifications.
I will also be creating a ‘sightings map’, which will allow you to submit your own sightings of species on campus. I will then help provide identification of these species if needed, hopefully with the help of other users of the blog. This should allow us to build a wider range of data on the species that can be seen on campus, and is not limited to just birds as any wildlife sightings will be welcomed!
During this project, I hope to improve both my identification and communication skills, and to share a little bit of my enthusiasm for our campus biodiversity. Please feel free to comment on any of my posts, as feedback will be very much appreciated.
