Guest blog by Bronac Gallagher
When I look back to my all-too-short time living on Rathlin Island as an RSPB volunteer, it’s with very fond and happy memories. Rathlin is a unique and idyllic getaway brimming with an abundance of nature, breathtaking views, unpredictable weather and friendly islanders!
I’m 32 years old, hail from Newry, live in Belfast and have a passion for animals and nature. I graduated in Animal Behaviour and Welfare at Queen's University Belfast just over a year ago and am interested in getting hands-on experience delivering conservation messages and, of course, getting close to wildlife.
I first heard of the residential volunteering opportunity when my mum and dad rang me from Tenerife! They said they had heard something very interesting on RTE radio and I should call the RSPB to find out more. I applied by email over the space of a weekend in March 2016 and soon received the go ahead to work and stay on Rathlin Island for a fortnight. Two buses to get to Ballycastle and a short ferry crossing took me to Rathlin Island where Alison McFaul, Visitor Experience Manager at the Rathlin West Light Seabird Centre, had arranged to collect me and show me around.
I stayed in Kinramer Cottage, a charming home away from home, where residential volunteers live for two weeks at a time. The cottage is also home to a brood of very friendly hens that seem to like the company - and food the volunteers have spare! More exotic species you’ll see during your stay include summer visitors like wheatears and meadow pipits and, if you're really lucky, you might even hear an elusive corncrake!
Rathlin is famous for its seabirds, and rightly so. The colony, one of the biggest in the UK, is simply spectacular. Guillemots are the first to arrive in March and are joined later in the season by kittiwakes, fulmars, skuas, peregrines, razorbills, gannets, gulls and puffins! The birds take over the cliffs, skies and sea stacks and every day is a feast for the eyes. It’s the birdie version of soap opera watched through a telescope!
Of course, lots of visitors also come to see the ‘upside down’ lighthouse - a feat of engineering built into the side of the cliff which is a source of real pride for Rathlin's residents. Learning about the lighthouse as well as the birds was one of the most interesting parts of my stay.
If you decide to volunteer, you’ll learn a lot in a short space of time! Very quickly, you’ll know enough to deliver tours to visitors who arrive every two hours via the ferry and the island's local buses. There is a lot of walking and talking involved and, along with the sea air, you’ll sleep well every night!
For fun, McCuaig's pub in the harbour offers live music, comedy and other events. If you play traditional music, bring your instrument along. The sessions are brilliant and the craic is great. It's a very friendly atmosphere where everybody is included.
If you’d prefer some solitary time with nature, there are walks to choose from over the island with stunning views of Antrim, Donegal and Scotland to be enjoyed.
I loved my experience as an RSPB residential volunteer so much, I decided to return for another fortnight last May. By that time the puffins had begun to dig their burrows at the base of the cliffs and I had the pleasure of working with another team of people who were curious and excited about nature. It really felt like coming home.
Once you get the Rathlin bug, you won't want to leave. I’ll probably be going back this year. See you there?
Volunteers are needed from mid-March to mid-September 2017. Accommodation is provided and a minimum commitment of two weeks (Monday to Monday) is preferable. Interested? Find out more here or email volunteers@rspb.org.uk. Alternatively, please call RSPB NI during office hours on 028 9049 1547.