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Hannah G

Hi everyone, my name is Sam Langford and I am the RSPB’s Community Fundraising Officer in South & West Scotland. Last week saw the team head to the Scottish Centre for Ecology and the Natural Environment (SCENE) for our annual Regional Team Meeting. The title doesn't sound exciting, but it is always a fantastic time to get all of the regional staff together to learn more about the valuable work we do and to share ideas and plans for the future. It’s also great to hear more about other organisations, and so we chose SCENE, where researchers at University of Glasgow carry out incredible work.

I’m sure you’ll agree the views of Loch Lomond we had were incredible.

Day 1 consisted of updates from different teams in the region, taking in updates on our reserves, our all nature work and also learning more about our Public Affairs work. You forget how much we actually do in this massive region! Everyone had the chance to learn more about the exciting Giving Nature a Home in Glasgow project, and share some ideas. Some of the staff really got into the spirit, and we saw evidence of definite creativity throughout that team!

 

The night finished off with a fantastic quiz led by Mark Mitchell and I, and let me tell you we are a competitive bunch here at RSPB. Ultimately the newest members of staff emerged victorious, with the Inner Forth Landscape Initiative (IFLI) team winning a closely contested battle. Well done guys!

On day 2 we had the chance to learn more about the work Glasgow Uni is doing at SCENE, and this included learning about thermal imaging in small birds to examine their response to stress. Here’s some of the team learning from Ruedi Nager and Ross MacLeod about behavioural studies being carried out on blue tits.

Other members took a walk around Ben Lomond to learn more about the excellent archaeology trail organized by the National Trust for Scotland, and how we can make the most of the history found on our reserves. Did you know we have an RSPB archaeologist?

All too quickly the meeting was over, and we had to head back to normality. However, we will all be looking forward to next year...

Photos: Loch Lomond (Sam Langford), Izzy Trzopek showing off her best hedgehog impression (Fiona Weir), RSPB staff learning about University of Glasgow experimental design at Loch Lomond (Sam Lnagford), RSPB staff learning about the archaeology on Ben Lomond courtesy of National Trust for Scotland (Hannah Grist).