The first entry when we start to enter the “awkward” letters! Three more in my A-Z … we are almost there!
T is for … Talking
Now this is something I can do well … very well, as those poor suffering souls at RSPB Cymru HQ can attest … there are also all those patient clients of mine when I am doing my day job that have to listen to me going on about a Marsh Harrier at dawn at Newport Wetlands, or the Gannets coming out of the fog bank at Grassholm. At least I get told I am the most interesting accountant they have ever met! Finally on that list is more long suffering wife who has to put up with me excitedly arm waving to try and get her to come and see some House Sparrow chicks being fed on the feeder, even though we’ve both seen in hundreds of times, I do it with the same schoolboy excited enthusiasm I did it when I saw it for the first time.
And that’s the crux of it … enthusiasm. That was my original remit when Emma from RSPB Cymru gave me this blogging gig (now 91 blogs ago!). I was given a licence to enthuse, and that’s what I strive to achieve with every single one of these blogs. I want you to go out there and experience what I have experienced!
I have been lucky enough to have been given a platform to do this with the RSPB both in type and in front of a live audience. The later was terrifying to begin with, but I really rather enjoy doing my talk on Garden Birds now, and I always get a lot of pleasure from people coming up to me after I have finished enthusing about their own mini version of back garden Springwatch!
U is for … Undergrowth
We are all familiar with everything feathered, furred and scaled that we see when out on a nature reserve, but how many of us can confidently identify even half a dozen creatures that inhabit that macro world that is the undergrowth.
Would it surprise you that there are well over thirty species of Ants in the UK, and we have a relatively low list compared to the rest of Europe? There are 27 species of earthworm, and how about the plants? How many of you just look at a dandelion and see a weed? Well it will probably shock you to know there are 250 species of this wonderful yellow plant growing our countryside. Dandelions are another harbinger of spring; they provide vital early nectar for the first bees to emerge after winter. I always hang back cutting my lawn until they have largely turned into clocks, or I will leave a patch un-mowed. The eco-system that exists down there supports so many birds and mammals, as these invertebrates are the first source of food. When we talk about habitat destruction, it is so easy to think we are removing nesting sites, but what we really are talking about is the removal of their food source. The Homes for Nature campaign clearly recognises this, and is far more than just putting up a nest box. Making a bug hotel creates a whole new habitat for all those creepy crawlies that make your skin itch sometimes, but it can be so rewarding. I have been watching a solitary bee (which I can’t identify!) making a home in one of the cracks in the outside wall of my house. It has taken a monumental amount of effort to make a home and a place to lay its egg to ensure to continuation of its species. So next time you’re out walking, watch where you are putting your feet!
V is for … Volunteer
Like the letter R … there was only one thing V was ever going to stand for.
In the past twelve months the RSPB has broken its membership record with 1.1 million members, which is incredible. There were 17, 387 volunteers out there as part of a small army working on reserves and on the various show stands around the country.
When I got made redundant way back in 2011 I had already decided that if I was going to nothing, I may as well do something for nothing! It was always my intention to do some volunteering if the opportunity arose. It arose before I had even got my P45, when I responded to a tweet asking for people to help with a bucket collection in Queen Street, Cardiff. I always believed volunteering involved tidying up reedbeds, maintaining fences or conducting surveys, but it turns out there are a myriad of different ways you can help!
It is one of the proudest things I have ever done, and it can fill you with a sense of self satisfaction that you are trying to make a difference, no matter how small, that matches little other. If you have thought about doing something, why not pick up the phone and call the RSPB and ask to speak to the volunteer co-ordinator, there is almost certainly a niche you can fill. You will become part of one the greatest teams there is …
All Images © Anthony Walton
Ant you could have gone anywhere with these three letters but very appropriate that you used it them to enthuse about volunteering and spreading the word - which is what you've done here. Great post!
How can I not love this Blog - I get a shout out, volunteers and volunteering gets a shout out - thank you Anthony for every ounce of enthusiasm you give to your volunteering.