First Field Day - Putah Creek Riparian Reserve

 ABI 198 - Section B
4/4/25

Hey everyone! So, we had a pretty great first field day. We were all on time and made it to the site without issue. We were able to spend a few hours observing the unique wildlife of a riparian ecosystem and get started on our research ideas. 

Here are our field day meeting minutes:

12:10 pm - Met at Mann Labs parking lot.

12:25 pm - Arrived at Putah Creek Riparian Reserve, explained the importance of this riparian area, and given a rundown of the activities

12:35 pm - Self-guided observations 
- 10 minutes on plants
- 10 minutes on invertebrates  
- 10 minutes on vertebrates

1:05 pm - General observations and exploration for the remaining time

1:15 pm - Reconvened for a group discussion

- Discussed the diversity of plant life observed as well as any animal interactions witnessed. Talked about the abundance of both native and invasive species and how they affected the local animal population (with a special focus on insects). Discussed potential study questions. We also discussed some of the readings and how they related to our observations in the field.

1:45 pm - Departed from Putah Creek

2:00 pm - Back on Campus

Here are just a few of the plant and animal species observed on this trip:

West Valley Oaks

Poison Oak (beware the mitten)

Geranium dissectum

Slider Turtles

Mistletoe

We also spotted a multitude of amazing birds and insects, as well as a random splattering of blood that we were unable to identify...👀 
(No one was injured on this trip)

Some interesting interactions observed were:
- The parasitic Mistletoe weighing down the tree branch of the Valley Oak
- Some Red-Tailed Hawks fighting a crow
- Many galls observed on the leaves of California Black Walnut trees, as seen below (caused by an unidentified insect)




Week 1 Goals - Met!

At this point in the class, everyone was able to easily access the ABI 198 Google Drive, the Slack server, the Blogger website, and the Zotero shared folder. Everyone is actively doing their part to read and find new research papers to discuss and think of research ideas to add to the project idea spreadsheet. We were able to make some great observations on our first field day and decide on two sites for Wednesday's field observations - Cathill Property and Wolfskill Orchards.

Reminders:

Everyone should also be doing their weekly reflection entry and working on the R homework due Monday!
Also, remember to pack a lunch and a water bottle for our field day on Wednesday because we will be out in the field the entire time! Wear sunblock, long pants, and closed-toed shoes to be as comfortable and as safe as possible.


Agenda for Wednesday - Field Day at Wolfskill Orchards and Cathill Property

10:00 am - Meet in the parking lot next to Mann Labs

10:25 am - Arrive at Wolfskill Orchards

10:25-10:35 am - Morning Debrief

10:35-11:35 am - Identify and note as many plants and animal interactions as you can find. (both plant to animal and animal to animal)

11:35-11:50am - Break for lunch/ bathroom

11:50 am - Reconvene to drive to Cathill Property (also, last call for bathroom because there aren't any bathrooms at Cathill!)

12:05 pm - Arrive at Cathill and continue observations

1:05 pm - Reconvene to discuss findings and consolidate observations. Open class discussion about potential research ideas

1:30 pm - Start heading back to campus

2:00 pm - Arrive back at Mann Labs parking lot 


Adjusted Agenda for Wednesday - Cathill Property

10:00 am - Meet in the parking lot next to Mann Labs

10:30 am - Arrive at Cathill Property

10:30-10:35 am - Morning Debrief

10:35-10:55 am - Hike/observations

10:55-11:55 am - Identify and note as many plants and animal interactions as you can find. (both plant to animal and animal to animal) (Activity)

11:55 am - Break for lunch

12:10 pm - Continue observations/activity

12:50 pm - Reconvene to discuss findings and consolidate observations. Open class discussion about potential research ideas

1:15 pm - Start hike back to parking area

1:30 pm - Start heading back to campus

2:00 pm - Arrive back at Mann Labs parking lot

Reminders: Go to the bathroom before we leave!!! Bring food and water for our lunch break. Wear good hiking shoes! Activity: Complete the following activity in pairs and one group of three.

  • Name 10 native species of the preserve (doesn't have to be the actual name yet)
  • Name 10 invasive species of the preserve (can be plant or animal)
  • Name 10 ecological interactions you have observed and say whether they are mutualistic, commensal, parasitic, or predatory
  • Think of a factor that could be damaging/stressing the riparian preserve
  • Create a question based on your observations


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