Animal Movements near Raystown Field Station

• Braden Davis

  Juniata College

  Author

• Jessie Hunt

  Juniata College

  Author

• Kaylyn Walters

  Juniata College

  Author

The property near the Raystown Field Station was observed to determine habitat use of birds and mammals. This is important to understand ecosystems, guidance for future conservation, and inform human activities. We hypothesized that small mammals and birds should prefer more wooded areas because there is more easily accessible shelter from predators, larger animals should not be affected based on habitat type, and there should be a mix of animals in the edge habitats and near water. To test these hypotheses, the property was observed with the use of eight camera traps in four different habitat types, two in each of the four types. Those habitat types were water, meadow, edge, and deep woods. The camera traps collected observations for about a month and then the data were compiled and analyzed. It was discovered that there is a mix of small and large mammals and birds using forest edge habitat and near water habitats. However, it was not conclusive if small mammals and birds were choosing wooded habitat over open habitat. To come to a more definite conclusion, more research is needed.

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