Blogger: Mike Burdekin, Off Site Warden - Ouse Washes

The conditions on the reserve are excellent. The current water level has created a wide variety of feeding opportunities for both wildfowl and waders. Most species of wildfowl are plentiful and many of the whooper and Bewick's swans have taken to staying on the reserve or the farmland immediately behind the hides. This is a fantastic opportunity to see them close…

Blogger: Kim Matthews, Membership Development Officer

At least that is what Stevie Wonder believes.  I never thought of myself as particularly superstitious although I do tend to avoid walking under ladders, but that is just elementary health and safety.  I may even have been heard to utter a "Good morrow Mr Magpie" on spotting a solitary individual of those striking black and white birds, but surely that is just good…

Blogger: Steve Field, Membership Development Manager

The RSPB Eastern England membership team visits all manner of public events over the summer as we spread the word about the fine work of the RSPB, but the event I was most looking forward to attending this summer was the Cambridge folk festival, which took place last week at Cherry Hinton hall near Cambridge. I have to say the weekend exceeded my expectations.

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I'm gutted. Wagon wheels don't have jam in them anymore. What's occurin'!?

In the good ol' days that fake Wheely jam sat tenderly against its pure white mallow like a jumped up jammie dodger.

But then in the good ol' days corncrakes croaked from the fields, corn buntings jangled from ripening corn and hedgerows were bursting with wild flowers.

Hmmmm, if there's a choice, you can keep the jammy…

Blogger: Gena Correale-Wardle, Community Fundraising Officer

Today is my last day before a week off work and I am looking forward to getting out and about in the next 9 days. I’m off to London for a couple of days on Sunday and am looking forward to sitting in Greenwich park for the very first time with my boyfriend. On Monday we are going to visit two of my best friends to sit in the sun and enjoy an ice cold after…

Blogger: Aggie Rothon, Communications Officer

It made me laugh when, sitting behind me in the canoe this weekend, Paul suddenly mused, ‘Canoeing can either be beautifully graceful or incredibly ungraceful can’t it.’ I got the feeling that I fell in to the latter category as I paddled absent-mindedly towards the alder branches leaning towards us from the bank, whilst Paul battled doggedly to steer us on to a safer course…

Blogger: Charlotte Pledger, Youth, Education and Families Officer

So my journey around the region investigating family events continues. This week I have visited Titchwell and Frampton – different activities and very different weather conditions, but both engaging with loads of families.

I’ll start with my visit to Titchwell Marsh on Wednesday.... When I arrived everything was already set up by yet another fantastic…

Blogger: Linda Roberts, Volunteer for Community Fundraising

Imagine my delight the other morning, opening my bedroom curtains and seeing a fox sunning himself in the flowerbed, not a care in the world. He stayed for about half an hour lazily grooming himself and then had a quick nap before strolling off. 

Another morning I was greeted with the sight of a sparrowhawk who briefly stopped on top of a tall conifer, I…

Blogger: Mev Ahmad, Nuffield Volunteer

Excited to study Geology/Earth Sciences at University in 2012, I applied for the Nuffield Science Bursary and waited anxiously for the letter of acceptance. I was thrilled to discover that I had a 4 week placement with the regional RSPB office in Norwich.

My job involved working in the Volunteer & Farmer Alliance Project (V&FA). There are two sides to the project: fieldwork and…

Blogger: Adam Murray, Communications Officer

My Dad is a clever man, a bit too clever sometimes but clever none the less. However, when it comes to summer timeyou will see him flailing around his garden getting crosser and crosser. With gusto you will hear him shout ‘What's the point of b*!?@y wasps?’. This is a question that many al fresco diners may ask themselves this summer as they panic, clutching…

Blogger: Erica Howe, Communications Manager

This week, I’ve been working on an incredible RSPB project. Our Minsmere reserve is having a bit of a make-over and in the new year we will have a fantastic, dedicated learning centre for youngsters and families to come and be inspired about nature.

And then, the riots happened in London and my attitude shifted. Not about the project I must add; I feel passionately about…

Blogger: Charlotte Pledger, Youth, Education and Families Officer

Last Friday saw me at one of Fen Drayton’s family events. I arrived feeling very good about my carbon footprint, having got there by train and the shiny new Guided Busway! The bus stops on the doorstep of the reserve so no excuses for not going for a visit to this beautiful part of the world.

The ‘Deadly Dozen Bug Hunt’ advertised on the Fen Drayton…

Blogger: Laura White (on behalf of all the A Team)

On the very rare occasion that the office based administrators have some spare time, they go and sit in our reception, that’s the place to be to find out what’s really going on.

There’s always something to be wondering about, sometimes the suspense is unbearable What will the new staff member be like? Who will make use of the hot desk? What will happen…

Blogger: Aggie Rothon, Communications Officer

‘Life’s too short to stuff a mushroom’ Shirley Conran famously said. I couldn’t agree more Shirley, but it’s not too short to ice a cupcake or twenty. In fact it took me a whole morning of craning over the kitchen counter, spatula in one hand, handful of Smarties in the other to minutely decorate cakes and prepare dishes full of delicate treats for Robin’s third birthday…

Blogger: Steve Rowland, Public Affairs Manager

Being office based I find it important to make time to get out and walk the ground with our wardening teams and find out a little more about their work managing some amazing landscapes for wildlife. So last Monday morning found me at a sunny Ouse Washes to meet our Site Manager Jon Reeves and Richard Woollard my counterpart at the Environment Agency.

At the Ouse Washes…

Blogger: Charlotte Pledger, Youth, Education and Families Officer

So onto visiting a family event at the RSPB’s headquarters at The Lodge. This time the theme was ‘Nature Discovery’. The 2 hour event was run by 3 fantastically organised and knowledgeable volunteers. Families were split into 2 groups and were lead round part of the reserve to discover nature.

Even before we got going, children and…

Blogger: Steve Rowland, Public Affairs Manager

Maybe it’s a legacy of studying Geography at University, but I do like to look out of train windows and try to read the landscape that I am passing through. The train journey that I do most frequently takes me through a real cross section of lowland landscapes. From King’s Lynn I first travel south west across the Fens, through a mosaic of large fields, drainage ditches…

Blogger: Adam Murray, Communications Officer

“Summer time and the living is easy, fish are jumping and the cotton is high”, the immortal words of summer. Or as the August bank holiday is upon us you could say something a little more like “Summer time and the traffic is heavy, kids are screaming and the end is nigh”.

So as the last few days of the holidays approach would you put yourself in…

Blogger: Aggie Rothon, Communications Officer

I must have spent much of my school life day-dreaming. We sat at work today peering from our strip lighted office to the drizzling rain outside and started discussing when summer turns to autumn and when autumn turns to spring. Apparently the season turns on the 21^st day every three months. This I didn’t know and my delight upon recognition of the fact caused much amusement…

Blogger: Kim Matthews, Campaigns Intern

Sometimes when I think about the problems we, the human race, are facing I have the urge to run away and live like Tom and Barbara Good.  War, famine, poverty, climate change, habitat destruction, mass species extinctions... it’s enough to make you want to bury your head in the sand.  Perhaps if I had my dream eco-self-sufficient-rare-breed-organic-fairtrade-ethical small…

Blogger: Charlotte Pledger, Youth, Education & Families Officer

So onto the last of my family activity blogs for this summer – Minsmere. I have been fortunate enough to have visited the reserve several times over the holidays, mainly to help with some of the survey work in preparation for the new Family Discovery Zone. This gave me the opportunity to have a really close look at activities on offer and observe families…

Blogger: Erica Howe, Communications Manager

Earlier this week, on Bank Holiday Monday, I landed at Stanstead Airport. My ten day holiday had rapidly come to an end and as I walked through the arrivals gate and stood outside watching hoards of people excitedly wheeling their suitcase towards the check-in desk, I felt deflated to say the least.

The end of a holiday can always leave you feeling blue. I love Norfolk, but…

Blogger: Annie Sadler, Volunteering Development Officer

I started life as a volunteer aged 17 helping out my local conservation group – Stour Valley Volunteers in the Dedham Vale AONB.  I was going to start a conservation course at Otley College and was advised to try practical conservation first, just to make sure it was my cup of tea, and it totally was!  I looked forward to helping on the work parties eagerly…

Blogger: Aggie Rothon, Communications Officer

The running joke in my household at the moment is that whatever film any one suggests watching my response will always be, ‘hmmmm, I don’t do war/romcom/sci-fi films.’ My comeback quip is always ’but I like characters and contemplation not fights and action!’ Whatever my argument however I have to admit that I can quickly lose interest in any film that doesn’t grab me in…