Celebrity homes!

Hello everyone, my name is Melissa and I am joining Alycia to help her with her field season this year. I have a lot of previous experience studying fish: I currently study juvenile bluegill behavior or "personality") and my degree in college was fisheries management. I love studying fish in lakes so when Alycia asked if I would help her I said yes!

Today was our first day in the field. I was so excited to get to see the lakes where these famous fish species live! I have heard many interesting facts about stickleback from researchers all over the country. These particular stickleback species are pretty famous in the field of biology so I felt like I was visiting the home of a celebrity! We set minnow traps in various habitats hoping to catch both benthic and limnetic species adults. We know these fish species have different habitat preferences but sometimes where we found them was not so obvious as to where they should be.

We found other cool things in the traps as well. The most fun were red-bellied newts! We also saw insect larvae of various types. Outside of the traps we have seen two bald eagles, three loons, deer, ducks, and MOSQUITOES (luckily they aren't biting us though)! Frogs are out and calling here as well! It feels like spring in British Columbia.