Exploratory data collection

Taking preliminary data is a great way to not only test preliminary ideas, but also to come up with new ones.

Tip 1

Tip 1 is, if you can’t think of any data to collect, just take any data. At the very least, it’ll get you to look harder at your animals. And in most cases, you’ll be surprised at the patterns you find.

No data are too lame to collect at this stage, no behaviour too boring to bother with. Gulls just standing on a rock? How many are there? Which way is each facing? Those are easy data to collect by just taking a census every - what, 30 s? 60 s? - it really doesn’t matter what the collection scheme is at this point. It’ll suck no matter what, but it will get you data, and lots of it in a short time.

Tip2

Look at your data. Graph it, in whatever way works for you. In the main course material, I’ve offered tips on how to do this, but if you come up with your own scheme, then fine. In fact, thinking about different ways of graphing data is one of the best ways to come up with cool ideas about behaviour.

Tip 3

Let your data collection method evolve, just like I recommended for notes. They’ll gradually get more formal, you’ll get a better feel for what intervals work, and what don’t, and so on. Just as with note taking, it’s important to let your methods evolve at this point - we’re still far away from a formal study, but the more responsive you are to your interactions wil the animals, the better your study will be.