Taking a silly little (nature) walk around Science Park

The seasons have finally shifted. Science Park, which seemed comatose during winter, has suddenly begun to look more alive. The grey palette that used to dominate has been discarded for a Bob Ross-style one: full of colours to make “happy little trees”.

Sudden bursts of foliage notwithstanding, Science Park gets a bad rep for its lack of green communal spaces. And while this criticism stands, it does not mean that nature cannot be found in our concrete jungle. As a study break (and to prevent myself from screaming at an empty Word doc), I decided to take myself for a short nature walk/cycle to see what I could discover on our campus.

Gay geese
I started at the fields located at the western entrance to Science Park. A variety of birds can be found here throughout the year, especially geese. And now, some of these geese have fluffy, chirping goslings. The ones that I could identify are called greylag geese. Fun fact about greylags: up to 20 percent of pairs in a flock are homosexual. You can tell that to your homophobic uncle the next time he says “gay is unnatural” at a family dinner.

Charming coots and hunting herons
I then cycled to the small path that runs between Olympos and the Botanical Gardens. Here I saw a pair of coots, one of which was perched on top of an impressive nest, while the other diligently gathered twigs. Nearby, there were patches of yellow water lilies ready to burst into bloom. Soon it will be an idyllic scene, with coot chicks swimming amongst the golden flowers. 

Looping back towards the main road again, I saw a grey heron wading elegantly through the reeds. I am always impressed by these stealthy hunters, even if their amber-eyed gaze is a bit unnerving. Although this one seemed to be satisfied with a menu of fish, herons are known to eat smaller birds and chicks- someone should really warn the coots. 

Animated amphibians 
Maybe it’s cheating, but in my opinion, a nature walk around Science Park isn’t complete without a quick trip to the Botanical Gardens. I was on the lookout for the resident lizards that like to sun themselves in the Rock Garden, but they were nowhere to be seen (the large number of visitors trampling through their habitat probably didn’t help). I did, however, see a dazzling green frog who was singing its heart out while nestled between lily pads- very Disneyesque. It was truly a five-star performance, accompanied by turquoise damselflies dancing in the background. 

All too soon, my hour was up, and I reluctantly headed back to the Koningsberger building. I was prepared to spend the next few hours cooped up inside, without any glorious nature to distract me - or so I thought. 

Suffice it to say, the rodent occupants of KGB are entertaining company. They could give the Disney frog a run for his money.