Rosie's UEA Ecology Blog

I'll start this blog with a quick disclaimer. This blog is about a bird I saw on a recent field trip to RSPB Titchwell, not on the UEA campus. However, it was still a course trip, so I'm going to include it anyway! A Curlew patrolling the tidal mud flats, shot through my binoculars. Curlews ( Numenius arquata ) are an emphatic species associated with the wetlands of the UK. In fact, the UK population is particularly important, we host 30% of Europe's population for the winter months, and an estimated 66,000 pairs breed in the summer. The British Trust for Ornithology's Wetland Bird Survey lists The Wash in East Anglia as one of the most important sites for Curlew. Often heard before they are seen, the call of the Curlew is often described as 'bubbling' and can be easily recognised. Curlews can also be easily recognised by their distinctive curved beak. Their plumage is mottled brown to cream in colour and they have blue legs. They can weigh up to a kilogram and ...

For many species, winter means slowing down and becoming a more drab, dormant version of their summer-selves, but for Spindle ( Euonymus europaeus ) it means becoming flushed with brilliant pink berries that clash with the bright orange of the seeds inside. This spectacular shrub can grow to 9 metres and be over 100 years old. It is also used as an indicator of ancient woodland, similarly to bluebells and wild garlic. As well as having fabulous fruits in winter, spindle bushes also transform in autumn when their leaves turn to an amazing orange-red sunset colour. The leaves are a foodplant for a range of Lepidoptera species, including the holly blue butterfly and the berries are an excellent food source for many bird species, particularly as food can be scarce in winter. When the flowers bloom in the early summer they provide a rich nectar source for a wide variety of insects. The genus name ( Euonymus ) comes from Greek, and is said to mean 'lucky', derived from the words ...