There can’t be many seven year old girls who prefer bird song to the songs of One Direction but then Gracie Mae Mortimer is quite unusual.
Not only is she passionate about nature, she’s also just become the youngest volunteer at the RSPB’s internationally renowned nature reserve at Bempton Cliffs on the East Yorkshire coast. “So far I’ve been litter picking around the seabird centre and I’ve helped fill the bird feeders. Next I’m going to learn how to work the CCTV cameras so I can show visitors the puffins on the cliffs”, enthused Gracie.
Gracie’s Mum, Clare, and Dad, Keith, accompany her on her twice monthly visits to the reserve and have encouraged her to be curious about the natural world, as their parents did with them: “As a family, we enjoy being outdoors as much as possible and often walk from where we live in Bridlington up to Danes Dyke to explore the woods. We take a guide book with us and Gracie especially likes trying to identify anything interesting that we come across, from leaves to feathers.”
Gracie’s school, Boynton Primary, has also helped fuel her love of nature. Until funds ran out, they had cameras installed in nest boxes in the school grounds so that their pupils could see the birds inside raising their families.
RSPB Bempton Cliffs volunteer development officer, Ryan Chenery, invited Gracie to become a volunteer after she enquired about joining the RSPB’s junior section, Wildlife Explorers: “Gracie’s got enough energy for ten volunteers and puts her heart and soul into every job. Her Mum tells us she’s no Little Miss Perfect though - while she might be great at litter picking, she’s not quite as good at keeping her bedroom neat and tidy”.
Unbelievably, this isn’t Gracie’s first volunteering role. Four years ago, her Mum and Dad were heavily involved with the Bridlington and Driffield Mencap Society and three year old Gracie helped at fund raising events by folding raffle tickets and setting out the prizes for the tombola.
So will this experience convince Gracie to aim towards working for the RSPB when she grows up? “Well, I might be an archaeologist or a palaeontologist or a seal rescue worker. But I wouldn’t mind being a Puffin Patrol leader at Bempton Cliffs either.”
RSPB Bempton Cliffs would love to hear from potential volunteers of all ages. Anyone interested in helping out at the nature reserve should contact Ryan Chenery on 01262 422207 or email ryan.chenery@rspb.org.uk