Devon out here: our ecology field trip social media roundup

21 May 2024

An annual spring tradition has seen Zoology, Environmental Management and Wildlife Conservation spend a week in Devon learning ecology skills.

The first-year students spent the week at the Field Studies Council's Slapton Ley centre as well as in the surrounding countryside where they discovered lots of fascinating species, on land, water and in the air.

Harper Adams Lecturer in Wildlife Conservation, ELM and Zoology Dr Julia Casperd said: “The Harper staff team, myself, Dr Andrew Cherrill, Laura Vickers, Paul O’Hagan and Nikoletta Foskolou were impressed with our students’ resilience, dedication and team work – they were a pleasure to work with.

“I’d like to say a huge thank you to Edward Parrish, Director of Bicton College for arranging a fantastic day for us exploring the Lower Otter Restoration Project and the impact of the reintroduction of beavers with Sam Briant Evans of the Clinton Devon Estates.

“We also saw the establishment of one of King Charles’s National Nature Reserves with Rick Lockwood, ranger from Devon Wildlife Trust and Kirstie Ellis - The Super NNR’s Landscape Recovery Project Manager.”

Catch up with some of the highlights from the week with our social media roundup.

And we are off! with our first years with dream team: Andy Cherrill, Laura Vickers, Paul O’Hagan and Nikoletta Foskolou!!
— Julia Casperd (@jcasperd)

2/5 ..more to come later…our students have more photographs. They are currently identifying them…
— Julia Casperd (@jcasperd)

sampling habitat carousel to explore the effect of water quality on functional feeding groups.
— Julia Casperd (@jcasperd)

Speaks for itself! students and lecturers loving canoeing on the Ley. Pleased to report the grab works a treat!
— Julia Casperd (@jcasperd)

Slightly better view of the transect to be sampled to demonstrate succession: it’s a beautiful day ??????????‍?????
— Julia Casperd (@jcasperd)

Lots of discussions tonight as students design their own research projects
— Julia Casperd (@jcasperd)

Searching for our diligent students out doing a bird survey in the reedbed. They were up at 5.30 am, all credit to them for finding the time for a second survey. Presentations start 3.30 pm sharp following the final assignment upload.
— Julia Casperd (@jcasperd)

A fantastic array of presentations by the zoology, wildlife conservation and ELM students reporting on their ecology focused independent projects conducted
— Julia Casperd (@jcasperd)

If you're interested in finding out more about our courses - and how field trips like this help our students learn - then why not visit the next Harper Adams Open Day, on Saturday, June 22?