An Ecological Adventure at Botany Bay Beach!

After a long coach trip towards Kentish Botany Bay Beach on a windy Wednesday morning, we met our guides – Steve and Juliette, and walked along the sandy coast towards nearby sand dunes. On the way, we were introduced to organisms such as the spider crab. We then discussed the succession of plants across proto, yellow and grey dunes, and the role of washed-up seaweed in providing nutrients and a strong root network for the pioneer species, sand-couch. Through using a transect and quadrats, we put our ecology knowledge to good use measuring the species abundance and percentage coverage per meter squared on different dunes.

After lunch on the coach and a short drive east, we arrived at Wildwood Reserve for afternoon investigations. The group split into two; one group examined the species diversity of woodland invertebrates using pooters and a transect, whilst the other measured the species diversity of plants in a 100m2 area, before switching around again. The sheer number of brambles in the woodland was quite the surprise! Between activities, we were able to see various animals which were, at some point in time, native to England: arctic foxes, otters, ravens and ferrets. We also saw wallabies originating from Australia, which had set up local populations after escaping captivity from international trade and private collections.

Despite our prickly afternoon, we successfully collected accurate ecological data. We would like to thank Mrs Bonsall for organising this trip, and Mrs Wallis and Mrs Keyworth as well for ensuring that the day ran smoothly. Our thanks also go to our guides throughout the day for making the trip both educational and entertaining.

By Kayla P and Joshua K