Field Courses

Get your first immersive taste of field ecology during the level 1 Coastal and Uplands field course. You will visit either the Field Studies Council Centres in Millport on the Scottish island of Great Cumbrae Scotland or Malham Tarn in the Yorkshire Dales.

Whether at Millport or Malham Tarn, you will put into practice the biological knowledge and skills you’ve gained during your first year to investigate ecology and evolution in action.

In particular, you’ll discover how environmental factors like temperature and tide action, and biological factors like competition and predation, structure biological communities and drives variation within and between species.

After some larger group activities to introduce ecological sampling methods and species identification, in small groups you’ll design and carry out your own investigations.

Zoology

Zoology students will visit the glacial lake of Malham Tarn, situated in a beautiful national park in the heart of the Yorkshire Pennines. 

This internationally important reserve found within a spectacular limestone landscape features a wide variety of terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Projects may include territoriality and habitat preferences of woodland birds, the ecology of carnivorous plants, cave spiders and limestone pavement ecology.

Plus there’s our infamous treasure hunt and pub quiz.

When: June, Year 1
Duration: 1 week
Location: Millport, Scotland / Malham Tarn, Yorkshire Dales
Compulsory: Biology, Zoology, Ecology and Conservation Biology
Optional: Genetics

Examples of projects:

• Rock pool species diversity
• Hermit crab startle behaviour
• Periwinkle seaweed choice
• Bladderwrack morphology
• Butterfly thermal behaviour
• Small mammal parasites
• Freshwater shrimp abundance