Lower Sixth Biology pupils went to North Somerset to carry out the fieldwork element of their course, staying at Nettlecombe Court, a field studies centre in a secluded valley in Exmoor National Park.
The pupils stayed in a grade I listed Tudor and Georgian country mansion set in heritage parkland and ancient woodland, as well as being identified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of its lichen communities.
Whilst on the trip the students had a chance to carry out a range of different field work including sampling on the rocky shore, freshwater ecology and grassland ecology. They also had the opportunity to carry out small mammal trapping using humane traps, and were lucky enough to catch three field mice in their sample.
The second morning consisted of identification of moths which were trapped the night before, in doing so the pupils contributed towards the sample data collected by Nettlecombe Court in order to monitor species in the area. The students also had the opportunity to use echo locators to identify the different species of bats present in the area surrounding the Nettlecombe grounds.
Even though the weather was not always brilliant sunshine, this did not deter the enthusiasm of our budding ecologists! The pupils all worked incredibly well throughout the trip and were an exceptional example of Bromley High Biologists.
“I enjoyed the trip as it was a very unique experience in learning about where biology A level can take you in the future. I particularly enjoyed the kick sampling methods whilst sampling regions in the rivers, and learning all about freshwater shrimp.” Joan, Lower Sixth Biology pupil
