After a welcome snack, the girls explored the biodiversity of the beck at Harewood. They used their nets, observation equipment and classification keys very sensibly to collect and identify the different types of wildlife in the water. Given the many different creatures the students found, they concluded that the diversity of living things in the beck was good.

In the afternoon, they then dissected owl pellets to establish what small creatures were living in the many fields on the Harewood Estate. Our students showed great concentration and a very gentle touch as they dissected their pellets to discover evidence of an array of small field mammals.

However, the highlight of the day was preparing a bucket full of seed bombs using compost, wildflower seeds and water and then throwing them in a meadow to plant the seeds and thereby increase the biodiversity of the meadow. Afterwards, it was time to head back to school but not before a quick stop to feed and brush the hair of two gorgeous highland cows!

Mrs S Rowbotham