Phil's UEA Ecology Blog

Latin name: Erinaceus europaeus Image courtesy of Ches Moonie. Widely distributed throughout Western and central Europe and found nearly everywhere in the UK, the European hedgehog is a much-loved mammal with its characteristic prickly defensive spines playing an important role n its popularity and familiarity.  Hedgehogs are found across a rather broad range of habitats. This encompasses woodland, grassland, farmland and even urban settlements. They prefer to be present on low lying hills, although they have been recorded venturing and settling in mountainous terrain. The species are sparse in areas of moorland, marshland and coniferous forests. They are however, a common visitor to gardens, reinforcing their warm  reputation on a national scale. The typical European hedgehog is brown in colour, with its soft underbelly protected with up to 6000 brown and white spines attached to its back. Body length varies between approximately 15-30 centimetres, whilst adults can potent

Latin name: Pipistrellus pipistrellus Image of a pipistrelle bat courtesy of Milos Andera The common pipistrelle is small bat with a huge distribution. Its range extends from the British Isles and Western Europe all the way to the far-east as far as the Korean Peninsula, whilst the airborne mammal also has strongholds in North Africa. It is the most common and widespread species of bat to be found in the British Isles. Common pipistrelle can be observed in a variety of different habitats mainly comprising of areas of woodland, hedgerows, farmland and urban areas. In summer, the bats tend to roost in small crevices and therefore the roof tiles, roofing and wall cavities of houses is ideal for such a purpose. In a more rural environment, the species prefers to roost in tree holes or bat boxes provided for them. A small species of bat, the common pipistrelle measures approximately 35-45mm from in head and body length. Its wingspan however, is much greater measuring ab

Latin name: Betula pendula  Image by Tim Graham Native to Europe, Asia and introduced to North America, silver birch is a moderately sized. deciduous tree with distinctive white, shedding bark. Birch is a popular garden tree, although it tends to thrive in dry woodland, downs and heaths. Reaching up to 30 metres in height when mature, birch forms a light canopy with its slim, white braches, which are often covered in small and dark warts. Birch possesses small, green leaves, which are shaped triangularly with a pointed edge. These slowly fade to a pale yellow colour in the autumn months before dropping from the tree all together. Silver birch germinates and reproduces through the method of wind dispersion, which commences when the catkins release their pollen to the environment. These seeds are often dispersed in autumn. After successful pollination is achieved the female catkin turns to a dark crimson colour, when the catkin was previously of green colouration. The specie

Latin name: Rana temporaria Image courtesy of Gary Stamp The common frog is a semi-aquatic amphibian found across nearly all of Europe, with its range extending into Asia, as far as Japan. They are found throughout the British Isles, although it is thought that they may have accidentally introduced there. An average adult frog measures approximately 6-9 centimetres long and weighs about 23 grams. The skin usually has an olive green colouration, although it has been observed that frogs can alter their hue to a lighter or darker shade in order to expertly blend in with their surrounding environment. During breeding season, male frogs can often transform their skin to a blueish-grey colouration. A frogs ideal habitat is in a moist, damp environment, such as close to ponds, marshes or lakes where there is long grass available. They often live a solitary life until breeding season approaches. In warmer climates, frogs are often active for the entirety of the year, only hibernati

Latin name: Ardea cinerea Image by Peter Ertl A common and unmistakeable sight around British waterways, the grey heron is a predatory wading bird whose range spans from temperate Europe all the way to South Africa and eastern Asia. However, some of these locations are only used as breeding or wintering grounds, whereas Britain is a permanent home for the ever-present heron. Tall in appearance, the grey heron stands at about a metre tall and possesses a wingspan at almost double that size, whilst their body weight ranges from approximately 1-2 kilograms. The plumage consists largely of a grey-white colouration, with a streak of black feathers often found down the flank of the bird, as well as under the wings and over the eye.  The heron has a large, slender bill usually consisting of a pinkish- yellow hue and a long winding neck which it utilises efficiently whilst on the hunt for food and keeps retracted whilst in flight. When hunting, herons consume virtually anything th

Latin name: Gerris lacustris Photo by David Davis Often seen whizzing around on the water's surface from spring until the end of autumn, there is no doubt that pond skaters are fascinating insects. They possess thin, brownish bodies with small heads, large eyes, and long spindly legs. Such legs allow the skater to propel themselves forward at tremendous speed, whilst the back legs act to steer and direct the insect in the desired direction. Skaters are often found in slow-moving or still bodies of water and are found across the whole of the UK. Skaters are aquatic predators and tend to feed upon invertebrates which are unfortunate enough to fall on to the surface of the water. The prey creates water ripples which are detected by the sensory hairs on its front legs. The skater rapidly closes in on its prey, puncturing it with its proboscis and delivering a dose of digestive enzymes. The digested insides of the prey are then slowly sucked up through the proboscis of the ska

Latin name: Cyanistes caeruleus Image courtesy of Steve Oakes One of Britain's best loved birds and a welcome visitor to gardens up and down the country, the blue tit is a delightful looking bird that is commonly found in woodland, hedgerows and gardens and are found virtually everywhere in the UK. A native and non-migratory bird, the blue tit possesses an eye-catching azure plumage on the head, a yellow breast and a green back. The face is white with a streak of black passing over the eye. They measure, on average, approximately 12cm with a wingspan of up to 18cm and a weight of 11g. Blue tits number around 15 million in the winter months and during breeding season there are approximately 3.6 million UK territories, meaning the species is under little threat in terms of numbers. Blue tits are regular visitors to bird feeders and therefore enjoy feeding upon various seeds and vegetable-based food. However, their favoured food source are insects, caterpillars and spiders

Latin name: Talpa europaea Photograph by Mick E. Talbot With molehills a common and familiar site whilst strolling through the British countryside, the same cannot be said for its creator. An underground dweller and burrower, the European mole's subterranean lifestyle ensures that it is an unusual sight for a person to see. Moles have a reputation for being voracious predators,  reportedly consuming anything from mice to maggots, although they have an apparent preference for earthworms above anything else. Such is their appetite, moles often eat approximately half its body weight every 24 hours or so, utilising their exceptional sense of hearing and touch to navigate and locate prey. In terms of appearance, moles tend to measure approximately 16cm and weigh up to 130g, with females usually smaller than males. Fur is normally black, brown or grey although white haired moles are not out the question. Moles are often mistakenly labelled as blind. Although their vision is

Latin name: Quercus robur Image of an English oak tree. John Haynes.  English oak is arguably Britain's most famous and treasured native tree. It has often been regarded as a national symbol of strength and unity for centuries. This sense of adoration for the oak has its origins from a time when druids worshipped and practised their rituals in oak groves. Couples since the era of Oliver Cromwell have also been wed under the mighty tree, whilst Roman Emperors were often gifted with items crafted from the wood of oak in order to celebrate grand victories. In addition, oak is often credited with our nation's colonial past, with the wood perfect for constructing effective ships for scouring the world's oceans and supplying vital cargo and resources recovered from Britain's vast empire. Growing up to a height nearing 40 metres, oak trees possess smooth and study barks which become worn and rugged with age. Individuals grow rapidly during the early stages of it

Latin name: Podiceps cristatus Grebes initiating their famous weed dance, courtesy of Graham Catley A beautiful and ornate example of a waterbird, the great crested grebe is often seen floating elegantly or diving beneath our nation's waterbodies. The grebe is well known as a conservation success story, having nearly been hunted to extinction during the 19th century for their attractive plumage, the bird has made a remarkable recovery and has been cited as the inspiration behind the founding of the RSPB. The largest species of grebe in the Old World, the great crested grebe measures approximately 46-51cm with a wingspan of up to 90cm, whilst they can weigh in anywhere between 0.5-1.5 kg. Adults possess an unmistakeable black, brown and white plumage in the summer months, as well as distinctive head and neck decorations. In winter, adult birds develop a greater frequency of white feathers. Young and juvenile grebes are easily identified by the black and white stripes fo

Latin name: Anaciaeschna isosceles Image of a Norfolk Hawker courtesy of Jackie Dent The Norfolk hawker is, and has always been, one of Britain's rarest dragonflies and is under heavy protection, due to its place on the red list for endangered species. An occasional visitor to campus here, at UEA, the hawker has largely been confined to fens and marshland, leading to government initiatives to restore and protect these habitats. Such action has overseen a greater spread in the hawker population in East Anglia and the recolonisation of sites where they had previously disappeared. They are restricted to small pockets in East Anglia and are very rarely found elsewhere in the British Isles. Appearance wise, the hawker displays several distinctive characteristics including clear wings, green eyes and a yellow triangular mark on the second abdominal segment. The average hawker dragonfly measures approximately 67mm. During the reproductive cycle, mating primarily takes place up

Latin name: Lutra lutra A pair of Eurasian otter cubs, courtesy of Nicole Duplaix Arguably one of Britain's best loved species, the Eurasian otter can be found in waterways across the country, although they are more common in south-west England, Wales and Scotland due to declining number elsewhere. The species covers a vast range, from Western Europe all the way across Asia to countries such as China and parts of Indonesia, whilst can also be found in North Africa. In Otters will populate almost any unpolluted body of freshwater including ponds, lakes and rivers and can also make the sea their home, provided they also have regular access to freshwater in order to clean and maintain their fur. An otters' diet consists largely of fish, which is occasionally supplemented with amphibians and also with small birds if the opportunity arises. They are voracious predators and will consume up to 15% of their body weight from fish alone on a daily basis. Coast-dwelling otter

Latin name: Natrix natrix Grass snake courtesy of Marek Szczepanek Found across Eurasia, the grass snake holds the status of being classified as Britain's largest snake species. Also known as the ringed snake or as the water snake, the grass snake is often a dull green colour with a yellow ring and black scale patches to be found upon its neck. Non-venomous, the grass snake has a preference for wetland habitats but is also partial to areas of grassland and gardens with a water source nearby. They are strong swimmers and have been known to stay submerged for over half an hour at a time. Distributed across almost all of England and Wales, surprising this green serpent is almost entirely absent from Scotland and from Northern Ireland. The diet of the grass snake is made up almost exclusively of amphibians, including toads, frogs and newts. Fish are occasionally consumed along with small mammals and young birds. Once caught, prey is grabbed before being swallowed alive and

Latin name: Esox Lucius A picture of myself and Charlie Halliday with a pike fish caught in the UEA broad. A ferocious predator of the waterways, the pike fish is one of Britain's most famous freshwater fish. They are widespread throughout temperate waters of the northern hemisphere, particularly in North America and northern Europe. They are also found in every constituent country in the United Kingdom and every county in England except Cornwall. The pike is an apex predator and is not particularly fussy when it comes to dietary preferences. However, they mainly feed on other fish such as perch, roaches and sticklebacks as well as insects and occasionally birds and leeches. Younger pike, who tend to consume smaller prey like aquatic invertebrates such as daphnia, are also susceptible to cannibalism from older fish.  In terms of appearance, pike possess large and bony heads with upward looking eyes, coupled with a broad snout and

Latin name: O ryctolagus cuniculus Littering campus with its extensive burrowing network, it's little surprise that the University of East Anglia is widely renowned for being home to the small and lively mammal that is the European rabbit. Due to their apparent and effortless comfort of life demonstrated across daily across campus, it would appear that the critters' could not be more at home, although this is slightly misleading as rabbits were not always a common sight upon the shores of Britain. Native to the Iberian Peninsula, the rabbit was introduced here via the Romans after they invaded in 43AD, in order to provide a bountiful supply of both meat and fur.  An alert rabbit snapped in a meadow. Image courtesy of Rudmer Zwerver Despite acting as a valuable source of prey for many indigenous British species such as stoats, foxes and numerous birds of prey, the presence of the rabbit has had grave economic and ecological consequences over the years. It is tho