Blakeney Point of View

The UCL biodiversity master’s student trip to Blakeney Point was the usual mix of hard work, pleasure and pain, with the last hopefully mainly reserved for the course organisers.

The first week of UCL’s MRes in Biodiversity, Evolution & Conservation and MSc in Biodiversity & Global Change always sees our students visiting the Francis Wall Oliver Field Station on Blakeney Point, a National Trust nature reserve on the north coast of Norfolk. There, they begin their deep dive into the collection and analysis of biodiversity data by learning about some of the pitfalls of experimental design, before carrying out some sampling of their own in the dunes and salt marshes that cover the Point.

After a few years of disruption from covid, train strikes, and the boat collecting us from the Point catching fire (fortunately, we weren’t on it at the time), our hopes for trouble-free organisation this year were dashed by the weather. Vicious gales on the day the staff had planned to travel to the Point to set up the field station meant that the boat couldn’t run. Instead of a day of preparation, the two tutors and two cooks travelled across with the first group of students, in a boat also laden with food for more than 400 meals. It was not the most relaxing start to the week.

Image: A juvenile gannet in the surf on Blakeney Point. Unfortunately, such a close encounter means the bird was probably sick or injured.

The unusual weather this year meant that conditions were also a lottery for the three groups of students who visited across the week. The middle group in particular were caught by strong winds and driving rain, although given the absence of heating and hot water at the Field Station, the tutors did their best to ensure that the students stayed dry. Evenings of socialising, games, and tasty hot meals courtesy of our excellent cooks, kept everyone’s spirits up across the week.

The local Blakeney Point seals put on their usual show, and probably won the student vote for best wildlife of the week. However, strong north-easterly winds brought not only rain, but also a selection of unusual birds blown off course on their migration south from Scandinavia (and further afield). We had close encounters with both short-eared and long-eared owls, while barred and yellow-browed warblers were exciting for aficionados of scarce migrants. 

Whatever the conditions throw at us, there’s always something to enjoy on Blakeney Point.

Image: A yellow-browed warbler, a scarce migrant bird from Siberia, finding refuge in a sueda bush on Blakeney Point.

Further information:

• Professor Tim Blackburn
• Professor Tim Newbold
• UCL Division of Biosciences
• Centre for Biodiversity and Environmental Research
• People and Nature Lab
• Blakeney Point
• MRes Biodiversity, Evolution and Conservation 
• MSc Biodiversity and Global Change 
• MSc Ecology, Climate Change and Health 
• MSc Ecology and Data Science 
• MSc Ecology and Urban Engineering

Images:

Courtesy of Professor Tim Blackburn