Lagoon Bird Species Diversity at High vs. Low Tide

Overview

Objectives/Goals While observing birds at a local lagoon, I noticed that the overall bird abundance and diversity seemed to differ at high versus low tide. I was interested to learn more about how the tide impacts shorebird activity. I hypothesized that there would be a significantly greater diversity of bird species at low tide. I also believed that migratory bird species might be found in a closer proximity to the trail at low tide. Methods/Materials I observed a total of 23 different bird species over a period of several months and many visits to the lagoon. I used a notebook, binoculars, laser range finder, and bird field guide to observe birds. I used an anemometer, hygrometer, and thermometer to measure wind speed, wind chill, humidity, and temperature. I used a three-way meter to measure light, moisture, and soil pH. Results Over several months, I observed 23 different bird species and 391 individual birds. I discovered that there was much larger bird diversity at low tide than at high tide. I observed 21 bird species at low tide and ten bird species at high tide. I also noticed that most of the migrant birds were seen at low tide and that the close proximity of the visitors' trail did not seem to inhibit the migrant bird species or even many of the threatened bird species in their activity. Conclusions/Discussion From these results, I concluded that at low tide there may be greater bird species diversity observed and a greater total number of birds seen. The tide level did not seem to deter the birds even when they were exposed to greater proximity to the trail. I would recommend more tests at several different wetland environments to provide more accurate results. This project can be altered or continued to learn more about the effects of tides on bird abundance, diversity, and density.

Competition history

• CSEF 2015 Zoology · Entry J2201

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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