Undergraduate field courses

The Isles of Scilly are a group of islands on a 2-hour sailing journey from the Cornish coast, renowned for their extraordinary climate that borders on the subtropical. A standout feature of this course is its immersive experience, as you will camp and work within the study habitat. During the field course you will learn about the phenomenal biodiversity of marine and coastal species. Moreover, you will perform your own research project measuring behaviour of coastal organisms, biodiversity change, or about changing human livelihoods in coastal settings.

On this field trip you will get an immersive taste of several unique Scottish habitats, including Caledonian Pine remnants in the Cairngorms, upland freshwater habitats, moorland and coastal cliffs. These habitats are host to many species of high conservation priority in the UK, including the red squirrel, common dolphin, otter and golden eagle. You will learn about seabird conservation and study species interactions at one of the UKs most impressive seabird breeding colonies. Guided by world-leading experts on Scottish biodiversity conservation, you will carry out your own research project, for example to investigate the distribution of rare orchids or the tactics that shorebirds use to maximize food intake.

This field course will bring you to a stunning location in the Swiss Alps, surrounded by unique alpine habitats, including mountainous forests, tundras, boulder fields, glaciers and snow-capped peaks. You will learn about the adaptations that allow organisms to live in an environment that is characterised by extremes, the fragility of the alpine ecosystem, and observe typical alpine vertebrates and plants. You will witness first-hand the effects that humans have on this unique environment, for example through cattle and sheep herding or tourism. You will also measure how glaciers are retreating at unprecedented rates and how climate change has a direct impact on alpine biodiversity. Guided by experts in alpine ecology you will perform your own research, for example about alpine marmot and their habituation to tourists, how forest management affects biodiversity or whether plants move higher up the mountains with increasing climate change.

The Azores are an under-explored marine paradise consisting of an archipelago of volcanic islands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Their location, 1000 miles off the coast of Portugal, mean they are a magnet for migrating and pelagic species alike. Amazingly, 27 species of cetacean including five species of dolphin, large aggregations of sperm whales and the largest mammal in the world, the blue whale are all visitors to the Azores. Our learning on this field course will be delivered by some of the world’s best marine biologists on boats, in laboratories and in learning space owned and operated by the University of the Azores with whom we collaborate.

Northern Spain is a fabulously diverse region both geographically and biologically. The rugged coast has both rocky shores and major estuaries that border on the Cantabrian mountains. During the course you will get familiar with the key habitats of some of Europe’s key wildlife species inhabiting the northern Iberian peninsula, such as bear, otter, chamois and numerous large birds of prey. You will learn from some of our most renowned ecologists who have been performing their field research in this area for more than a decade. As with any other field course, you will obtain much-needed skills on designing and carrying out your own research project, for example on how extreme climatic events affect insect populations, or on the foraging behaviour of raptors.

The Pyrenees are a mountain range that separate Iberian peninsula from the rest of Europe, representing one of the most important European glacial refugia in Europe. These mountains harbour some of Europe’s remaining megafauna such as brown bears and lammergeiers, and serve as the western migration corridor for many birds and insects. The field trip will expose you to native, endemic and invasive species and their habitats. You will learn how to measure of behaviour and biodiversity in insects, mammals, birds and plants. We will consider human-wildlife conflict issues that are special to the mountain ranges and the Mediterranean. You will perform independent research projects on topics as diverse as insect-plant interactions, bird behaviour, diversity-disturbance relationships and altitudinal gradients. We will stay in a high mountain refuge and learn about important work on evolutionary ecology and conservation in this eco-region.

Costa Rica has the highest density of biodiversity of any country in the world and is renowned for its highly progressive conservation and environmental policies. A typical Costa Rica field course will introduce you to a range of tropical forest habitats, from mountain through cloud to coastal rain forests. Central to the field course will be your deep engagement in these ecosystems to gain an understanding of tropical biodiversity and how to conserve it. You will gain first-hand experience of the methods used to study the flora and fauna in such challenging environments through a series of practical sessions. You will then have the opportunity to implement all you have learned and conduct your own group research projects on an aspect of ecology or animal behaviour allowing you to acquire some of the essential field skills and experience needed to help you pursue a career in tropical conservation and ecology.

The island of Corsica boasts a vast diversity of different ecosystems, ranging from tundra-like vegetation near its 2700m peaks to the maquis and garrigue arid shrublands that are a staple of Mediterranean biodiversity. Its mountain forests host a broad range of wildlife such as Corsican mouflon, Lammergeier and endemic species such as the Corsican fire salamander. The island is surrounded by plankton-rich waters that attract large numbers of dolphins and whales. This course provides you with some of the major examples of the challenges faced by Mediterranean ecosystems like those on Corsica. Guided by our leading field ecologists, you will study how rapidly warming seas change Mediterranean marine life and how forests ecosystems recover after forest fires. You will perform your own field research projects in this unique ecosystem, ranging from studying behaviour in migratory songbirds to how plants vary in their defences against herbivory.