12/12/22- Science Trip to the Peak Wilderness Area
In the last week of school, as a grade we went on a science trip. The ESS class (my class) was split up from the Biolodgy and Physics kids, who went to Norton Bridge, and we went further inland, into the Peak Wilderness area, near the base of Adam’s Peak. Over the 3 days we were spending here, our aim was to explore the area on different hikes, and to notice all the wildlife and biodiversity in the area. The first day we arrived at our accommodation quite late, and the first thing I did was swim in the freezing water. We explored the river we were staying on and unpacked into our rooms. It was then time for dinner and some briefing on the next day before we headed to bed.
Tuesday, the second day, was our main working time. We began by having some breakfast, and then we started our hike for the day, up to the fishing huts and the base of Adam’s peak. Along the way, we stopped frequently to take photos of plants for our Innaturalist, which is an app that tracks and identifiies different species. Once arriving at the fishing hut we met the Biolodgy kids, and separated into small groups of 3-4 to help them with their data collection of Lichen on trees in the area. They showed us how to use a grid to count the data in a certain area, and using north, south, east and west to separate the Lichen in areas along the tree. After a small snack of bread and cheese, we made the walk back to our accommodation. On the way back to the Blue Magpie Resort (our accommodation) some of us took the long route back, and it was really a nice experience as we saw a different view of the area by doing so, and also found some interesting plants, and explored the tea plantations while we stopped for a break.
The rest of the time was spent at the Blue Magpie, and my night time activity included joining Mr. Lockwood in his search for frogs along the waterbank, and we ended up finding quite a few, of many different sizes. One of the frogs we saw, Mr. Lockwood was able to get a photograph of, and we identified it as a Shrub Frog, (Genus Pseudophilautus), genus currently unknown. I learned about where to find them in regards to the water, and how to listen out for their calls. It was tricky to spot them at first as they easily blend into the rock faces, with their colour and certain textured skin, however, once I learned to tune my eyes accordingly, I ended up spotting a couple that got photographed. Before we left on Wednesday morning, there was time for one more walk along the river bank to explore plants that I wanted to photograph, including a special flower called a (Impatiens acaulis) that I did not get a photo of, but I did get a picture of a (Freycentia walkeri) (see below).
