Introductions complete for University of Cumbria by Merops Field Studies Praying mantis joined us for lunch. Drones, camera and sampling design tomorrow... Not a bad view...

A really great first day welcoming staff and students from University of Cumbria to the south of France. We kicked off with habitat tours and a demonstration of our kit before project planning. Highlights of our walks were this Spiny Toad and recent evidence of Beavers. Peter Lawrence

GIS treasure hunt, drone flights, equipment training and independent project preparation University of Cumbria with Merops Field Studies #GoTeam #GPS !!

Our guests from University of Cumbria have been getting stuck in to survey techniques. We’ve used our drone to map meadow vegetation, then carried out plant and invertebrate surveys. Invertebrate highlights were this beautiful Tortoise Beetle and Buffalo Leaf Hopper. Peter Lawrence

We had really good fortune with our thermal imaging evening with University of Cumbria. We spotted 3 Beavers, plus a bonus Coypu. The Beavers are very well insulated, so we tend to just see their eyes and ears glowing whereas the Coypu lose a lot more heat from their heads Peter Lawrence

We spent a fantastic day exploring the Camargue with University of Cumbria. Very atmospheric skies in the morning, with lots of wildlife spotted. Highlights were migratory birds passing through, including this Wryneck, Common Cranes and the ever-present Greater Flamingos. Peter Lawrence

Yesterday we took our guests from University of Cumbria for a trip along the Ardèche Gorge. We visited the famous Pont d’Arc natural bridge and took a hike through the garrigue. Highlights were some Red Cage Fungi, plus the resident feral goats that frequent the gorge. Peter Lawrence

We're glad you enjoyed your field trip with us - and we had a great time hosting you here too. Really happy to work with you all and to show you the fantastic natural history of the area.

We’d like to say a big thank you to our guests from University of Cumbria for a wonderful field course. We enjoyed hosting you and showing you the natural history of the area, and were excited to see the real diversity of projects. Good luck with the rest of your studies! Peter Lawrence

While here for their autumn field course, students from University of Cumbria carried out some fascinating projects, studying the diversity of aquatic invertebrates, fungi in different woodlands, and the effects of ephemeral waterfalls on wall communities to name but a few Peter Lawrence

We’ve been very lucky with our camera trapping this year, and students have got some great footage of a family of Eurasian Otters while on their field courses with us. We’ve seen foraging and sprainting, plus this female with two cubs. University of Stirling The University of Sheffield University of St Andrews

Re-visiting some of the fantastic #orchids we saw on our field trips this year. With our groups, we saw 24 species, including Woodcock, Burnt-tip and Violet Bird’s Nest Orchids, plus the very localised 𝘖𝘱𝘩𝘳𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘺𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘪, which is endemic to the Grands Causses.

We’d like to wish all of our followers and guests a happy new year for 2025. Even in the winter, nature is still thriving here in the south of France. We enjoy watching these seasonal changes, and look forward welcoming our first field courses of the year in the coming spring.