Avian Ecologist

A Limitation of R: Line Length Limits

I use the latest R (v. 3.3.3) and RStudio (v. 1.0.136), the latter of which has a default setting for the # of lines the console displays (under Tools -> Global Options -> Code -> Display -> Console). You can change it to 0 to get it to display all the lines, but it seems […]

Current Challenges in the Stella -> R Conversion

At this point, the script writes out all of its pieces, so that’s a landmark in this debugging process. Now, I’m catching problems where the R script crashes, and they’re becoming more cryptic as I go, which is to be expected. I found a line in my original Stella model that has an essentially meaningless […]

Exploring My BBA Block: Superior CE

I finally figured out what the Rainy River Energy Corporation property was near the Nemadji River. They want to (or did) grade the bank of the river. From the signage up at the property, they did in fact do enough damage to need a permit (> 1 acre). I wonder if this is why there’s now […]

Looking for Nocturnal Species for the WI BBA

Today, I went back to where I found the great horned owl. I didn’t find any new nocturnal species, but I did find white-breasted nuthatches carrying nest material in the late morning! I also found what could be a large nest, but it’s high in a pine tree and thus difficult to fully see. I’m […]

Fixing the Old Stella R Script

I’m doing this with (at least) one hand tied behind my back: I don’t know Stella, beyond a cursory understanding of what some things do and how to run models. So, I’m reliant on someone else’s translation script to make sure we get all the parts in the right place. It’s like they have provided […]

Nocturnal Surveying for the WI BBA

Tonight, I found a great horned owl that flew in from over a treeline from some northwesterly direction, perched atop a tree near where I was parked, and then flew off to hunt. It was descending as it flew off, so that’s why I guessed it had heard something and was going after prey. Since […]

Goals? I Think? Maybe Just Ideas…

It seems to me to make the most sense to update the current Stellar Python script to… Python 3 latest version of Stella (.stmx) Yet, I’m wondering if this is more trouble than it’s worth, given the annoying facets of navigating Python at all, much less converting someone else’s script. I have a bit of […]

Finding Nocturnal Species for the WI BBA

I did finally get on the board with some nocturnal birding, in the form of displaying American woodcocks at dusk! Meanwhile, some of my friends relocated the American three-toed woodpecker(s) today at the spot down the road from where I was looking (i.e. the traditional spot). The original finder had them back there a few […]

Python Tips & Tricks

If you need to find the index of an item in a list that matches e.g. a part of a string you’re searching for… indices = [i for i, s in enumerate(lines) if ‘gs4row’ in s] This will return a list of indices, telling you where in the list “lines” the string “gs4row” occurs.

Debugging OPS (Other People’s Scripts)

I copied this over from last week’s post, because this is the part I’m still working on. There are pros and cons to not having marathon debugging sessions. Sometimes you lose your place and need to take more time to get back to it. On the other hand, sometimes you get a fresh perspective by […]