As my daily 3:30am alarm goes off and I use my head torch to stumble through camp (which is slowly fading after three weeks in the jungle), I savour my enormous bowl of cornflakes to sustain me for a day of chasing…

First a little back story. I came to Hoga Island after spending a week in the rainforest. My body did not react well to the humidity, and I have never been so sweaty before in my life. So just coming to Hoga…

Prior to coming to South Africa with Operation Wallacea, I was apprehending going to the wildlife part of the country. However, after the warm welcome that the staff of the Somkhanda Reserve and Sodwana Bay offered us, as well as the amazing…

Hello everyone, I have had the incredible privilege of being a research assistant for a month in Krka National Park in Croatia. It has been the experience of a lifetime as it has helped widen my skill set, expanded my horizons and…

My name is Erin, and I recently returned from my two-week Terrestrial and Marine trip in Honduras. What made this trip so memorable to me was my mindset during and in my reflections following it. Embracing change and challenge allows experiences like…

I love a little dip into nature. Knepp was like a mental spa but the treatments comprised flapjack wars and inflatable mattresses. I felt incredibly connected – to the people I met, the animals, the land, the plants… I never felt impassioned…

The 8th annual Opwall Photo competition has come to end – and with over 160 entries and thousands of votes we have our winners! How the photo competition works Each person could enter two photos, but they had to have been taken…

I spent six of the most incredible weeks of my life in Honduras this summer. It is almost impossible to decide which of the many experiences to include in this blog, ranging from heartwarming to adrenaline-inducing. Instead, I will share with you…

Ever since I can remember I have always been fascinated with the natural world, whether it was searching for minibeasts in my garden, watching birds come to the feeders or waking up at the crack of dawn to explore the nearby woods….

What Makes an Opwall School Trip So Special? Operation Wallacea is a conservation research organisation that runs award-winning biodiversity research expeditions, helping students and volunteers from around the world to gain valuable experience in research. We have spent nearly 30 years working…

I have been in close contact with nature since I was a kid so when the time came to decide about my career path, I was sure that I wanted to study Biology. Unsurprisingly during my first year of University I discovered…

Bird Point Count Sampling Techniques Sampling setup The bird point count starts early in the morning, just after dawn when the birds are the most active and vocal. We are driven out to our study site and set up our starting point…