To maintain and enhance the biodiversity across Site one meadows it is essential to control the dominant plant and aggressive grass species. This is done by carrying out a suitable cutting and collecting regime twice a year which helps to reduce the nutrient level in the soil profile ,promotes a wider variety of wild flowers […]
Do keep an eye out for our stag beetles on site, these are our largest native ground beetles and can be seen sunning themselves on walls and paths or on humid days around dusk time look out for the male, easily identified with the large mandibles (jaws) which resemble the antlers of a deer, flying about looking […]
Have you seen the frog spawn that has appeared for the first time, as far as we are aware, in the small dipping pond by the boardwalk, this is great to see. The dead foliage needs to be carefully removed and the fish exclusion curtain will be checked it is still in place. Maintenance work […]
The Grounds team have been very busy this winter clearing up areas where damage has been done by the numerous projects that take place on campus. The upgrade of the access road in preparation for the Learning and Teaching Centre being one example. A temporary road was created straight through a large shrubbery near the […]
People have asked what species of bats we have on Site ,well we have recorded around six species at the moment in various locations which isn’t bad considering how much light pollution is generated from the campus, the limited habitat (which we are improving) and all the activity going on. Bats play an important part in […]
Yes, we have had both on campus -Jacksonville Jaguars paid us a visit last week running their Academy up at the Sports Park.Two American football pitches were marked out on the only bit of green grass we appear to have at the moment. We also now have a beehive on campus set up, it is a student […]
While continuing with the bat survey came across the Brunel hedgehog queuing at the calisthenics bars, being shy it trundled off into the shrubbery nearby, lookout for our hedgehog as they tend to have no road sense.
So what’s happened here? Well the grass area was really struggling next to Mary Secole building so we’ve scarified it then sown ,with some top dressing as a carrier, an annual wildflower mix to add a bit of colour and of course food for the bees, butterflies and other such insects. Hopefully we should have […]
Smells like spring is in the air!
Well this weekend was the RSPB garden bird watch, did you take part? Did you know that here on campus since 1982 we have had over 80 different species on site from Red kites to robins, 20 of these species are in severe decline and are now on the red list with 17 species being in […]