The Upper Sixth biologists are busy studying real-world ecology, in preparation for their residential field trip over half term and the splendid grounds of Repton School offer fine opportunities for many practical activities.
Repton has healthy populations of wood mice, field mice, bank vole, and several shrew species. The students, after a clear briefing on ethical treatment of mammals, enjoy setting humane mammal traps to catch and then "mark, release, recapture" the mice and voles. (Shrews are protected species, and so all of our traps are escapable by shrews). The students in the photo have caught a wood mouse, and are checking the traps and releasing the animal caught, at 10.30pm. Biologists work all round the clock!
Here are Alex Teal (N), Laurence Webster (L), Sam Graham (S), and Rhiannon Rogers (G), face down in the wet grass. The mouse seemed to be happy and calm- she was reluctant to leave the limelight!
Posted on
Tue, October 12, 2010
by Repton School