Species galore identified during Ecology field trip

First-year zoology, environmental land management and wildlife conservation students have spent the week at the Field Studies Council's Slapton Ley centre learning ecology skills. Judging by the volume of tweets shared, it was a highly fulfilling experience for all involved!

 

 

 

If you go out in the woods today, you'll find #HAUIntroToEcol2022 @HarperAdamsUni featuring the Papa Bear of the course Andy Cherrill and @jcasperd pic.twitter.com/NPSRG4wqJd

— Simon Segar (@simonsegar) May 7, 2022

A rigorous Checkpoint Cherrill addressing @HarperAdamsUni students’ survey effort and species ID. @dr_andy_wilcox @DrJohnReade #HAUIntroEcol22 pic.twitter.com/sXGnWo5o4s

— Julia Casperd (@jcasperd) May 7, 2022

Data crunching @simonsegar pic.twitter.com/O6ETfamXcm

— Julia Casperd (@jcasperd) May 8, 2022

Dappled with sunshine #HAUIntroToEcol22 pic.twitter.com/IikQYGwtKk

— Simon Segar (@simonsegar) May 7, 2022

I think this could be the #HAUIntrotoEcol22 @FSCSlaptonLey photo booth. The sea and shingle ridge make the perfect backdrop. @HarperAdamsUni @dr_andy_wilcox @DrJohnReade pic.twitter.com/jXRHlgZjdq

— Julia Casperd (@jcasperd) May 7, 2022

Day 2 #HAUIntroToEcol22 @simonsegar at the helm this morning. We will be exploring the faunal diversity of aquatic ecosystems down on the Ley. @dr_andy_wilcox @DrJohnReade @HarperAdamsUni pic.twitter.com/514IYgdjzy

— Julia Casperd (@jcasperd) May 8, 2022

Freshwater invertebrate survey! #HAUIntroToEcol22 @simonsegar @jcasperd pic.twitter.com/9Zke0rnwSL

— Lydia Farnell (@LydiaFarnell) May 8, 2022

What a great day first year @HarperAdamsUni #AppliedZoology student @alfie_bailey1 finds a juvenile #grasssnake under a carpet tile reptile refugia @FSCSlaptonLey @DevonWildlife @HerpResearch #HAUIntroToEcol22 #reptiles #Ecology #herpetology https://t.co/URKyTejozV

— Julia Casperd (@jcasperd) May 8, 2022

Great morning walk searching for reptiles, none found sadly but a great walk none the less with plenty of wildlife! #HAUIntroToEcol22 #fieldtrip @HarperAdamsUni @jcasperd @alfie_bailey1 @ailsamiller29 @MarkPag08599917 pic.twitter.com/Xl271lKnep

— Blake Euan Marlow (@fezg0d) May 9, 2022

The ebb and flow of succession, one for @DrJohnReade #HAUIntroToEcol22 pic.twitter.com/CtuNToyVBo

— Simon Segar (@simonsegar) May 9, 2022

A short clip from last night's survey. This was from the local bat roost in Slapton Ley. Amazing to see Greater horseshoe bats! #HAUIntroToEcol22 #?? pic.twitter.com/vJPfaW47Dg

— Kate Goodman (@kategoodman298) May 9, 2022

Day 3 @FSCSlaptonLey led #HAUIntroToEcol22 @HarperAdamsUni students’ investigation: the effect of abiotic factors associated with HAS on distribution & abundance of maritime flora. #Ecology #Zoology @simonsegar #WildlifeConservation #ELM @simonsegar @DrJohnReade @dr_andy_wilcox pic.twitter.com/ZGTDftywn3

— Julia Casperd (@jcasperd) May 10, 2022

Final Aquatic Invertebrate survey today for our mini project! Measuring whether water depth influences species richness over a transect! @flemingA17 @kategoodman298 @LydiaFarnell #HAUIntroToEcol22 @HarperAdamsUni @jcasperd @simonsegar pic.twitter.com/EekyjWBGZu

— Blake Euan Marlow (@fezg0d) May 11, 2022

Group project day!! So many inverts were found, very interesting sampling. Chucking it down though ?? #HAUIntroToEcol22 pic.twitter.com/8WXXLqb3Ye

— JemimaBeynon (@JemimaBeynon) May 11, 2022

#HAUIntroToEcol22 you are spoilt for choice tomorrow morning: moth ?? trapping with @simonsegar at 6.40 am or bird survey at 6am & checking trail cams with me ?? ?? ?? @fezg0d @ailsamiller29 @BourneGriffiths @LydiaFarnell @kategoodman298 please spread the word??

— Julia Casperd (@jcasperd) May 11, 2022

Fantastic Moth trapping yesterday, big thank you to @simonsegar for organising! A few different species turning up, my personal faves found were a Brimstone Moth and Cockchafer (not a moth but still fantastic) ?? @jcasperd #entomology #HAUIntroToEcol22 #nature pic.twitter.com/EdD5R9B5g1

— Blake Euan Marlow (@fezg0d) May 10, 2022

Some critters found in this mornings trap! Cockchafers, muslin moth, flame shoulders and treble lines??#HAUIntroToEcol22 pic.twitter.com/iwzAkrPNUx

— sharpspoods (@sharpspoods) May 12, 2022

Having a look at what we caught in the moth trap from last night with @simonsegar ! We caught lots of different moths from Green carpet moths, brimstone moths, early grey moths and many more! ??#HAUIntroToEcol22 @jcasperd @HarperAdamsUni @FSCSlaptonLey pic.twitter.com/JFJGFMwRmt

— Amy Fleming (@flemingA17) May 10, 2022

Interesting network of tunnels in the bank. What species of mammal lives here? #HAUIntroToEcol22 @Mammal_Society @Cercopithecid10 @kilgour_joel @LydiaFarnell @kategoodman298 pic.twitter.com/5BzzbW9RrQ

— Julia Casperd (@jcasperd) May 12, 2022

Day 6 I am interested to know if any of our #HAUIntroToEcol22 @HarperAdamsUni students sampled this abiotic gradient for their independent projects. Some of our first year #Zoology #WildlifeConservation & #ELM students have been out again collecting data this morning. @simonsegar pic.twitter.com/a6Rr7lZeOH

— Julia Casperd (@jcasperd) May 12, 2022

First experience at the Eden project was so much fun. Really valuable day out and so many different plants ???? #HAUIntroToEcol22 pic.twitter.com/WrgweFACt2

— JemimaBeynon (@JemimaBeynon) May 10, 2022

Interested in insects? Then aspire to be a botanist too. Plus plants are awesome. At the Eden center with #HAUIntroToEcol22 @jcasperd and the elusive greater spotted #AndyCherrill (still not on Twitter). pic.twitter.com/ZUE7O3PLoS

— Simon Segar (@simonsegar) May 11, 2022

A passionflower (Passiflora sp.) seen on a visit to the Eden Project as part of #HAUIntroToEcol22. The large, colourful flowers of these vines produce a sweet smell that attracts pollinators such as bees, wasps, butterflies, bats and hummingbirds. pic.twitter.com/SNmjNHfhP7

— Cercopithecidae (@Cercopithecid10) May 12, 2022

The Eden Project is also home to animals, such as these Tropical House Geckos (Hemidactylus mabouia), which help to control insect populations. Native to tropical sub-Saharan Africa, this species often enters homes to feed on synanthropic arthropods. #HAUIntroToEcol22. pic.twitter.com/i38WDC1fvn

— Cercopithecidae (@Cercopithecid10) May 12, 2022

#HAUIntroToEcol22 @jcasperd "Another one" 1 out of 5 slow worms found in the past hour. Very good condition :) pic.twitter.com/dlfEveuGuH

— Alfie G Bailey (@alfie_bailey1) May 12, 2022

#HAUIntroToEcol22 "Another one" 3rd out of 5 slow worms found, but the last one i pictured. A very long but slim specimen. pic.twitter.com/WGCUxpocPd

— Alfie G Bailey (@alfie_bailey1) May 12, 2022

Blue click #Beetle, 14-spot #ladybird, and a June #bug are some nice recent finds#HAUIntroToEcol22 pic.twitter.com/e7A8vavLqs

— bugsnslugs (@ailsamiller29) May 12, 2022

Tiny grass snake on way back from the freshwater survey. #HAUIntroToEcol22 @simonsegar @jcasperd pic.twitter.com/lCABmmZ0LN

— Lydia Farnell (@LydiaFarnell) May 8, 2022

Excellent afternoon of presentations from @HarperAdamsUni #HAUIntroToEcol22 independent projects. #AndyCherrill and @simonsegar were particularly impressed with how robust their statistical analyses were. Nice level of reflection too. @dr_andy_wilcox @DrJohnReade pic.twitter.com/oCU4FlkO3T

— Julia Casperd (@jcasperd) May 12, 2022