From the beginning of this blog I have referred to myself as a "former" biologist. I may or may not edit the places that say this for my status has somewhat changed. I have been doing some consulting for a couple of land owners as a biologist. In a minor way that changes my status from "former" to "current". Well, I think that is true even if, as in these cases, I am doing this as an unpaid service. It is still biological work.
Actually, what I have been doing is making some biological s
urveys of two tracks of mixed hardwood forest in Upshure county. The land owners want an idea of what animals are found on their property and some idea of the size of the populations. In particular, they want to know about deer, hogs, coyotes, and beaver.
Both of these surveys are rather informal. They just want a general idea. That is a whole different process than doing an actual population study.
In an actual population study, I would be doing some extensive field work using different methods of determining population estimates. This is something that I did a fair amount of many years ago.
Unlike the studies of long ago, I will not be doing any trapping, marking and releasing to determine population numbers. Instead I will just be doing walking surveys which can be interesting and, hopefully, will lead to some interesting photographic opportunities.
I have no intention of doing anything like this to add to my income. It is more something to help me with my self-education as an east Texas naturalist and as a favor to friends and friend of a friend. The best thing is that it gets me back in the field and allows me to hone my old skills. There's sure nothing wrong with that.
Michael is a former biologist and Texas Master Naturalist. Originally from Newsome, Texas (Between Pittsburg and Winnsboro), educated in Dallas & Garland schools, then off to the University of Texas system where he received a degree in biology and worked as a biologist with the University of Texas system. After many years away from nature and biology, he relocated to the banks of Lake O' the Pines where he has been rediscovering the joys of nature. He is somewhat surprised that he has become a birder. Most of his interest in nature was centered around reptiles. Perhaps just like birds evolved from reptiles starting in the late Jurassic, he has begun his own evolution. During his formal education, his interests in biology/nature grew to include community ecology and population studies, all with a binding of evolutionary processes. He liked birds, but they were secondary at best. All at once he finds them fascinating.
Comments