Sarah traveled to South Africa for six weeks to collect data on the bird populations of the uMkuze Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa as part of a program called Operation Wallacea. Birds were surveyed by repeatedly walking marked transects and logging every bird species that was seen or heard . By the end of the survey 198 species had been logged,
ranging from large water birds and raptors to small seed eaters and sunbirds. Habitat assessments were also completed for each transect measuring the height of grass and trees, density of trees and the amount of grass and canopy coverage. Her survey covered many different habitat types including savanna, bushveld, and even wetland areas. For the rest of the summer work period, and carrying on into the school year, she will be analyzing the data to determine the diversity, abundance, and composition of the bird fauna in the game reserve with respect to the environmental variables that she measured . Each habitat assessment will be analyzed to investigate effects of specific habitat variables on the bird population in the area.
Student Research