Knepp Eco Trip

On 23 June a group of CH Eco Rangers was treated to a tour of the Knepp rewilding estate by Old Blue Matthew Oates and Ecologist Abbie Burrows.

GE (Year 11) student Daniel said:

We really liked how diverse the wildlife was, and how there’s so much to see and learn about.  Matthew, our guide, told us many interesting stories about his time at CH too. He mentioned how he used to skip roll call to visit the weather station, and how he really didn’t like maths. We spotted the elusive purple emperor butterfly and learnt that the males constantly fight each other over territories to attract the females. Matthew explained how photographers use a bait of shrimp paste spread on the ground to attract the males, as they need salt to feed from. We also passed the spot where a camera crew filmed the butterflies for part of David Attenborough’s docuseries Wild Isles. We saw a stork’s nest where one of the storks was testing its wings and learning to fly. Matthew explained how these birds were extinct in the British Isles for more than 600 years until Knepp reintroduced them.  He talked about the possibility of storks nesting at CH in the next five years, and he hopes that they will build their nests on top of East Block in revenge for his childhood struggles with maths! We very much enjoyed our time here.  We hope Christ’s Hospital and Knepp continue to collaborate on ecology and education and would love to visit again.