University of Cumbria- Wildlife Media

16/10/2026

As days shorten in Autumn, many wildlife watching expeditions may begin or end in darkness, like this short video shows of 2nd Years working on location on the Isle of Arran, guided by Jon Chappell and enabled by the right advance planning and outdoor equipment.

This is a great article - https://www.ukhillwalking.com/articles/skills/ten_top_tips_for_walking_at_night-6718

16/10/2026

Our students use camera trap technology to research and record wildlife. Remote, motion-triggered digital cameras and infrared sensors automatically photograph and record wildlife without human presence.

Invisible infrared LEDs or off-camera flashes allow the system to capture crisp photos and videos at night without startling rare or nocturnal species. Units are housed in weatherproof casings and can run on standard batteries for months and images save to local SD/microSD cards.

16/10/2026

16/10/2026

1st Years benefitted from an outdoor observation workshop with artist Lionel Playford this morning, on a beautiful sunny day. Close observation and recording skills are vital to be an effective naturalist.

Lionel is a painter principally but makes sculptures, environmental art and installations. Outdoor drawing is significant part of his practice. Lionels collaborate with scientists involved in climate change research and has been on various expeditions around the world. See more about Lionel’s work here -

https://www.facebook.com/lionel.playfordartist

https://lionelplayford.artweb.com

16/10/2026

Very well done to all our wonderful 2nd Year students on such a successful residential expedition to Arran, guided brilliantly by expert staff Keith Partridge, Jon Chappell & Dr Alex Playford. What a brilliant student experience to put classroom learning into practice out on location, with the adaptability & perseverance you need in changing weather & fieldwork conditions.

We’re really looking forward to seeing student’s wildlife photography & documentaries - which they will be editing over the next number of weeks as they process all of their footage 🎥🖥️🎬

Is it rather typical that the last day en-route back is really sunny ☀️ with the sea as flat as a mill pond?!

Safe travels all 🌊⛴️🌊🚆🚐

16/10/2026

2nd Years discovered lots of species on the Isle of Arran, which in Autumn offers rich environments for fungi, with peak foraging and spotting season spanning September and October 🍂🍄🍄‍🟫

Ancient native woodlands, mossy and damp forest floors, decaying logs and tree roots along coastal walks and inland tracks host diverse species including cup fungi (Otidea or Peziza species), bracket fungi like Dryad’s Saddle (Cerioporus squamosus) and boletes such as Slippery Jacks (Suillus luteus). Flora & fungi sightings can be recorded on the local iNaturalist group -

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/flora-and-fungi-of-arran

15/10/2026

Seals 🦭 in the UK are protected by wildlife legislation and on Arran the community promotes the Arran Wildlife Code to prevent human and dog disturbance at seal haul-out sites, which can impact breeding success. Our 2nd Year students have been keeping their distance and using long lens photography and film making techniques 🎥📷

15/10/2026

Early starts are worth it for beautiful sunrises 🌅

15/10/2026

Another necessity of wildlife photography & filmmaking is sometimes enduring inclement weather conditions out on location! Industry expert lecturer Jon Chappell is supporting our students here with his usual good humour 😀