Audubon Park Adventures

The first lens I looked through was a mainly biological one; I observed the various ducks and cranes and made notes on their behavior. Most notably, I noticed one female mallard who, unlike most others, did not stick to a group of females or in a couple. She was distinct in color, and I wondered whether that was the reason for her behavior (and others' behavior toward her). She was lighter in tone overall, almost yellow and brown rather than an overall muted brown with darker patterns. I also noted differences in the ways in which the mallards and wood ducks interacted with others of their species.
Another lens through which I involuntarily looked was that which took note of all the trash lying around. This somewhat led into my next area of focus, which was what I guess I'll call a historical one. I took note (mostly through photographs) of evidence of change, be it natural or human-induced. Sometimes the distinction was difficult to make, as in the case of branches broken off of trees. Some of the things I recorded were quite obvious, such as the existence of park benches, trash cans, and the worn (not paved) path that winds along the lagoon's edge, while others were more subtle, like the presence of what looked like a brick or small cement slab embedded in the ground, and pebble-like chunks of tar or brick mixed in with the dirt, rocks, and shells in certain areas. What this brought up to me were what the motivations were for the changes. Some were again obvious, i.e., the trash cans were present to discourage littering, while others raised unanswered questions, such as the stump of an obviously considerably sized tree near the water's edge. I also knew from previous classes that certain clues visible in the park meant that more change was coming shortly. For example, the lagoon was quite full with leaves and other debris. For the first few feet or so, the depth didn't appear to exceed six inches. This means that relatively soon, the lagoon will be dredged so that it will remain intact. Some more overhanging branches may also be trimmed to decrease the rate at which leaves pile up within.