Resilience

One lesson that I have learned through this research experience is to always be adaptable; resilience is key. I don't know how many times my research plans have changed so far and it is a little frustrating, to be completely honest. However, the important thing has been to not get overwhelmed by this.

My first week here, when I was coming up with a research idea, I sort of shot myself in the foot by changing my idea from a forest birds study to a grassland birds study; grasslands are not an abundant habitat type in Ohio. While it would have been easy to scrap my grassland plans I instead put in all the legwork necessary to get a grassland bird study going. Needless to say, this plan has had its setbacks. First, Lisa Petit (the director for  Natural Resources at Cuyahoga Valley National Park) sort of tossed my nesting success idea out of the window and told me that I wouldn't get enough data and it would be a lot of work for nothing. I later found out that Lisa did her Ph.D. research on grassland nesting birds so she's knows better than any how difficult an endeavor it is.

I'm back on track now, I think, and am ready to go with a study of grassland bird communities and artificial nest success (artificial nests baited with quail eggs) as they are related to landscape factors such as patch size, perimeter:area ratio, and surrounding landscape type.

I don't think I would be on track though without the following advice:
1. Be prepared for unexpected opportunities. Life is just as much about preparing for the unknown as it is the known, that is why it is so important to always be in a frame of mind that allows you to see an opportunity and pursue it.
2. Don't complain, work harder. As long as you are willing to put in the work to be successful, no matter how difficult the task, you will accomplish something. While you may not accomplish all that you wanted to, and I certainly know that I frequently don't, it is a good step to at least get something done toward your ultimate goal.



This week I'll be visiting grassland sites and doing a preliminary assessment of what types of birds are there, nothing terribly exciting. Posting frequency may decline because of this, but will probably pick back up once my research gets in full swing and I have more to talk about.