Habitat
The observation area surrounds my home located in a housing development on a dead-end road. Windows on all sides of the house provide a good view in comfort in all seasons. A small deck in the back of the house is used in warm weather to get a closer look at the woods.
A satellite view of the observation area is shown below. A wooded corridor with mainly oaks, maples, black cherry and cedar trees connects the backyards of the houses to a large nature preserve. Understory trees such as native flowering dogwoods, sassafras, sumac and small shrub of bush honeysuckle and viburnum grow at the edge of the woods. Flowering fruit trees, perennials and vines, and small evergreen shrubs are planted around the houses. About two acres of grassy area in front of my house and neighboring houses, power lines on a hill slope and part of a pond behind the houses across the street are also visible from inside my home.
Observer Skill and Effort
During the day, I observe wildlife using binoculars, spotting scope or a telephoto camera as needed. Over time my skills in spotting uncommon and rare visitors continues to improve. These constitute over half of the total number of species observed.
Wildlife movement at night is captured on a PIR camera in a limited area.
Data Collection
Birds: I record sightings only when positive identification is made by sight, by call or both. Data are collected daily as time permits, averaging about 335 days in the past three years. I record the time of the first sighting of a species and the maximum count of each species seen together in a day. Fruits or blossoms of plants on which the birds may be feeding are also noted.
American Robins nest under the deck and their activity is monitored closely by sight and with a web cam. Nesting details of other bird species are recorded from the time a nest is located and are often incomplete. Sightings of fledglings and young chicks following adults give an indication of which bird species are nesting nearby.
Animals: Animal sightings during daylight hours are noted by sight. Two PIR cameras are placed in the backyard to record the movement of nocturnal animals in a limited area.
Insects: There are many different insects on the flowering shrubs all spring and summer. So far, I am tracking only a few selected butterflies and insect species.
