Survey Instructions
Our goal was to create a survey that anyone can conduct, whether or not they have experience with scientific research, are familiar with squirrels, or not. If you have any questions regarding the survey protocol or a behavior you saw with the squirrels, let us know! We are happy to help and answer any questions.
1. Navigate to survey (click "Data Submission" tab above) on mobile device to fill it out while watching your squirrel or print out the data sheet (see below) to record your observations. Fill out the information at the beginning of the survey before observations begin. *As specific a location as possible is very important for analysis of the data you are collecting! Locations will not be shared.*
Data sheet to print:
|
|
2. Locate a squirrel to observe for 10-minutes.
3. Every 20 seconds for 10 minutes, record what behavior you see the squirrel doing at that 20 second interval and whether they are on the ground or in a tree (choose from dropdown box in online survey or mark a T (if in tree) or G (if on ground) in the appropriate behavior box on the paper data sheet). If at any observation point, you cannot see the squirrel, you will mark "out of sight".
Ex: When you start watching a squirrel, you will record its behavior at 20 sec, 40 sec, 1 min, etc. until you reach 10 minutes. You are only recording the behavior at those specific points in time, not what it was doing between 20 second time points.
Ex: When you start watching a squirrel, you will record its behavior at 20 sec, 40 sec, 1 min, etc. until you reach 10 minutes. You are only recording the behavior at those specific points in time, not what it was doing between 20 second time points.
***If the squirrel is not on the ground, mark "tree". This includes if the squirrel is sitting on a man made structure, such as a fence.
***Resting behavior can occur in a drey or outside a drey in the tree, or on the ground. Be sure you note whether or not the squirrel was resting in a drey.
See Tips and Tricks for suggested timers to use for this project.
4. You should be familiar with and be able to identify the following behaviors: caching, recovery-recache, recovery-eaten, recovery-unknown, foraging, resting, grooming, vocalizing, travel, alert, and interaction. This will get easier the more time you spend watching squirrels.
See Squirrel Behaviors for descriptions and videos of different. The following pdf can be printed and used for reference in the field.
See Squirrel Behaviors for descriptions and videos of different. The following pdf can be printed and used for reference in the field.
|
5. Keep a separate count for each time you see scatterhoarding behavior (and which kind), even if this is the behavior you record for one of your observations. There will also be space to record other interesting behaviors or interactions with other species.
If you printed out the data sheet, there are directions on it about recording scatterhoarding behavior that occurs outside of a time-point.
6. If you saw a behavior other than the option listed, such as drinking, rolling around in the dirt, or a strange behavior you don't know how to describe, you should select "Other_Ground" if the squirrel was on the ground or "Other_Tree" if the squirrel was in a tree or on a man made structure off the ground. On the second page of the survey, you will be prompted to describe the behavior you saw.
7. If you collected data using the online survey, click submit and you’re done for this session! If you preferred pen and paper and used a paper copy of the data sheet, you’ll still need to go to the online data submission survey and submit your data electronically. You will have to go through and fill out the online survey once for every 10-minute observation session, if you choose to watch multiple squirrels.
The online data submission survey should be fairly straightforward and was built to mimic the process of collecting data using the paper data sheet. But if you have questions or need help, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us! We want this to be a fun research experience for everyone, no matter how much or how little you know about squirrels or technology.
|