Volunteers, an essential element of Date with Nature

Love is in the air! What would be your ideal date with nature?

Dates with Nature are a great opportunity for the RSPB to connect people with nature, where they live, work and play. From glimpses of basking sharks in Cornwall to puffins on Shetland there are events across the whole of the UK. The ever-popular birds of prey events have been joined by water voles, badgers, bats, seals and, soon, dolphins helping introduce the public to a wide selection of nature. Most Dates with Nature still feature birds, which is inevitable as they are often the most visible and identifiable wildlife around. In some ways the species is not important in that it is the entry point for a conversation between members of the public and RSPB staff and volunteers, not too mention our partners staff and volunteers, where we hope to enthuse people about nature and the role that the RSPB plays in conservation.

So why are volunteers essential to this? There are a few good reasons. Let’s start with the fact that volunteers are themselves enthusiastic enough to contribute their time, passion and knowledge in support of our conservation aims. As if that is not enough, their presence helps to provide a strong local voice to the conversation as most volunteers are from the local community. The icing on the cake is that their contribution of time multiplies the effectiveness of the RSPB staff involved helping to deliver highly cost-effective events.

What is in it for our volunteers? Here are what some of our Date with Nature volunteers have to say.

“The RSPB staff that I worked with on the stand were very helpful, informed and positive and really helped me and gave me a good grounding for chatting with the public.” (Katherine Travers, Edinburgh Sparrowhawks Date with Nature)

“My best day of work: Friday 10^th August, perhaps because it was my last day and I was feeling nostalgic but it was filled with sunshine and beauty so a very good day none the less. I was at Loch Gruinart. In the morning I helped Laura on the guided walk ... it was lovely to wander the site and impart some of the knowledge I had gained in the last two weeks and just to appreciate all the beautiful things around me.” (Steph Cowling, (Colchester), Islay Date with Nature)

“Herons are my favourite bird and volunteering at the project is a lot of fun. You get to meet some really interesting people”. (Barry Tennessee, St Albans Herons Date with Nature)

“The whole experience was very rewarding and increased my confidence to talk to complete strangers about birds and wildlife at similar events. Peoples’ comments when they looked through the telescopes at a heron on the nest for the first time were initially surprising; “amazing” and “awesome” were frequently heard!” (Stuart Harrison (first time volunteer), St Albans Herons Date with Nature)

“I enjoyed talking to people, enthusing and educating them about the red kites and liked the challenge of trying to read their wing tags. Volunteering helped me gain work experience after completing my degree.” (Allison Davidson, Galloway Kite Trail)

“The biggest reward is that I am contributing to the conservation of red kites and enjoy educating visitors about these birds, the importance of nature, conservation and its value. I decided to get involved directly rather than being an armchair conservationist.” (Michael Cole, Galloway Kite Trail)

How can people volunteer at Dates with Nature. All opportunities are advertised on the RSPB website here.

Have you been involved with one of our Date with Nature projects? How was it for you? We’d love to hear from you!