Traps and Scat and Rocks... OH MY!!

Wow, today was a jam packed day! First thing in the morning we checked our traps to find a few more voles than yesterday although not as many as our last sight.


We then learned about GPS mapping and took the coordinates of the perimeter of our area and the trail we made yesterday. After lunch we baited our camera traps then we set out to search for scat in order to get a rough estimate of how many deer and snowshoe hare are at East Port Medway. (Watch the videos below to see more about searching for scat and about the camera traps we are using).

Challenge:
1. Name 3 reasons why you think using a camera traps are beneficial in researching animals.
2. Name 3 problems we face when using camera traps.

After baiting our traps we spend the rest of the afternoon clearing another trail on the property to be used for future Earthwatch teams and research. It was a lot of work, but we were able to create a very nice trail!

Finally our day ended with a geological talk from Dr. Newman. He started the talk by giving us a history of the earth starting 4.7 billion years ago!!! The most interesting thing I learned was about the formation of the Bay of Fundy. The Bay of Fundy is the body of water forming the western border of the Nova Scotia peninsula. During the most recent ice age the bay formed out of a fault line that almost cut Nova Scotia off of North America (or what scientists call Laurentia) and attached it to what is present day Europe (called Baltica by scientists). However a strong Atlantic fault developed keeping Nova Scotia a part of North America but leaving a deep cut in the ocean floor now known as the Bay of Fundy. The depth of the bay attracts many different species of whales, dolphins and porpoises in the summer months. It is also home to the highest tides in the world!

To Mr. J’s classes: Thanks for the awesome questions!

3rd hour: The tree with me in the picture is a Hemlock. Nova Scotia was once covered with these trees but throughout the 1700’s and 1800’s and early 1900’s the forestry industry clear cut almost all of the Hemlock. Clear cutting forever changed the hemlock’s ability to grow because it creates the acidic soil it needs to grow through its falling needles. When the trees were clear cut other faster growing trees such as the spruce and fur (balsam fur) came and blocked out re-development of the hemlock. The roots can grow under over the rock only if the rock is covered in moss (making the soil acidic).

4th hour: Probably the most interesting animal I’ve seen so far is the beaver last night. It was awesome to see the animal up close. Check out the video if you haven’t yet. Tomorrow night we’re going bat watching however, and I’m excited to see more of the bat’s habitat.
5th hour: I’m not afraid of getting rabies, because rabies doesn’t exist here in Nova Scotia! Rabies is actually a disease that is more prevalent in the warmer climates. Because of the shorter summers in Canada, the strain hasn’t been able to survive well here and in other northern areas. However, rabies might soon be a good indication of climate change. As our climate gets warmer, there maybe more cases of rabies in the northern climates.

6th hour: We actually set a different type of trap at our new sight called a camera trap which allows us to capture larger animals on film. (watch the video above for more information on the camera traps). However, our researchers have been catching and researching badgers in England for more than a decade. They have similar, but larger traps that don’t harm the animals. I haven’t seen any bear yet, but there has been one animal that has stopped me in my tracks… and that is the snake. Although there are no poisonous snakes here in Nova Scotia I’ve never really liked snakes. But I’m slowly getting over my fear.