On Sunday 13th October, we were lucky enough to be taken around a section of Richmond Park in the South West of London by one of the rangers, John. We were scared that the weather would be terrible and nearly cancelled, but it turned out to be ok! We even got rewarded with sunshine in the last 1.5 hours of the visit!
Lara, a 1st year Biological Sciences student, has written a blog post explaining what we got up to.
This was my first ever trip with Conservation Society, and it was one that I will definitely remember. Richmond Park supports a range of rare species including fungi, birds, beetles, bats, grasses, wildflowers, and 630 red and fallow deer. I was excited to see the deer at Richmond Park, however, I was especially looking forward to seeing the variety of birds that call Richmond Park home. We were not disappointed, and were lucky to see Green Woodpeckers, Stonechats, Tufted ducks, Cormorants, and the elusive Treecreeper - whose high-pitched call was instantly recognised by a few members of the society. One of my highlights was seeing a Great Crested Grebe - a species known for its elaborate courtship display. This species was once considered nearly extinct in the UK due to hunting, so it was a pleasure to see it in the wild! Over 400 types of fungi have been identified in Richmond Park; we were lucky to have resident botanist (and general naturalist) Tsvet on hand to identify any unfamiliar fungi - one being Fistulina hepatica, growing at the bottom of a tree that is hosting a breeding pair of kestrels. We also got to see a Gall wasp larva after Lucas, the president of the society, broke open a gall the mothers make to induce larval development on acorns. Iona took beautiful (and some amusing) pictures - people wearing antlers provided by our guide and pretending to rut. Some of these are included in this post. The clouds soon cleared to reveal a beautiful sun that lit the bracken, trees, and red deer with a golden glow. We rounded off our trip by going to a pub, and ordering drinks and chips; the best way to end anything. I am so excited to see what’s to come - roll on future Conservation society events & socials!
By Lara Britton
