Which action is the best example of a direct observation?

Which action is the best example of a direct observation?

a. identifying which bird was present by the tracks that it leaves in the sand at a beach
b. reading numbers on a heat sensor to conclude that there is a deer in the night woods
c. listening to a cricket chirp at night and counting the number of chirps per minute d
d. etermining the seal population of an island by counting seals in 10 square meters of the island