jennaltbraun's Journal

Time and Date: 19/10/21 | 14:30 - 15:00
Duration: 30 minutes
Location: Waterloo Park, Ontario (West side of the train tracks)
Weather: Overcast, cloudy with low humidity. Approximately 13 degrees Celsius
Habitat/Vegetation: Fragmented Woodland with stream running through along the edge of biking/walking trail.
Word Count: 399

Narrative:

The very first thing I noticed about the vegetation in comparison to the first outing was that things had begun to decay; the goldenrod was hardly gold at all. Fall has clearly arrived! This patch of wildlife is fragmented on its own due to surrounding trails, train tracks and a residential neighbourhood. I chose this particular piece of Waterloo park because the vegetation grows wild and tall, as well, I once saw a deer here. It was two winters ago, and I was able to see a lone, medium-sized deer standing still between the trees (there was no vegetation to hide her). It came as a surprise to me because there is so much human activity in this area - enough to frighten off any wild animal.

During this outing, I was able to spot several species of plants, all growing quite healthily along the walking trail and further inside the woodland. I identified the usual and expected species: burdock, asters and clovers, but I also identified a couple of unexpected surprises: a bi-coloured striped bee and some wild sunflowers. I heard birds singing and could see the brown blur of their bodies as they flew by, however I was unable to catch a photo or identify them as I do not have an extensive knowledge of bird calls. I did hear Canadian geese as well. I did not see them on the side of Waterloo Park that I was investigating, however they were right across the train tracks.

That got me thinking - why aren't they over here? There's a stream, plants to eat, and its very close to where they currently reside. I think their selection of habitat has to do with the lack of space (there's more water on the other side of the park where the pond is) and perhaps that they avoid the train tracks altogether to avoid mortality.

I searched the area for tracks, feces or any other signs of animal wildlife I could find, but was disappointed. I believe this particular patch of fragmented forest is less appealing to animals both because of the light and noise pollution created by the active human community and because there is little privacy (or, in their eyes, little protection from predation). I'd also like to point out that there was a ton of litter; I noticed ripped up fabric, plastic containers and other contaminants throughout the area.