Today's session was all about pond life and sampling various waterways at Arundel's Wetlands.
We arrived late because today's session clashed with Connor's rock-climbing so the boys missed one of their friends carry out their presentation but they arrived just in time to go out and take part in some scientific monitoring and recording of 3 different water ways which included the main entrance waters, the discovery hides and the reed beds.
The kids worked as a team to record and share air temperature, water depth and temperature, weather and surrounding conditions, pond life spotted, ph balance and nitrates present. At each area a bucket of water was selected and the same measurements were taken. It was an interesting task which Connor threw himself in to but as usual it took Nath a lot longer to get into it!
Thankfully it was a beautiful day and warm too, one of the air temperatures recorded was 24 degrees centigrade...much more preferable to last session's rain.
It took time to gather all the data but we managed to squeeze in a very short pond dipping session and the team, working mostly in pairs, discovered a variety of pond life including a blood worm, mayfly nymph, pea mussel, alderfly lava, pond skater (which jumped out of the collecting tray), lesser waterboatman, ramshorn snail, great pond snail and water fleas.
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| One of the 3 waterways we sampled |
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| Measuring water depth and temperature |
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| Measuring water temperature |
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| Identifying pond life |
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| Hoglouse found only in the Discovery boat safari waters |
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| Pond Skater |
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| Alderfly Lava |
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| Lesser Waterboatman |
