In what seems like an unbelievably short amount of time, I have come to the end of my 6 months here at Coombes. This blog will hopefully give a brief glimpse into my time here, and all that it has encompassed.
I have been responsible for much of the survey work at Coombes this summer, which has allowed me to explore the entire length and breadth of the reserve, including parts of our other land holding further down in the Churnet valley.
Some of my favourite places on the reserve are in the centre of the valley along Coombes brook. Down there the old trees and rushing water made it feel like I could have been in Narnia or some other make-believe land.
I can now confidently identify the songs of most birds found here (give or take a couple), from buzzards to pied flycatchers, which considering how my skills were at the beginning is a massive improvement.
I’ve counted hundreds if not thousands of moths, and have endured the particularly hard task of spending the sunniest day of each week out counting butterflies. Such a hard life!
One of the core areas of the intern programme is practical habitat management. I’ve spent hours out with the work party removing bracken and Himalayan balsam from areas of the reserve, all to make help make it more biodiverse in the future.
In my first week wardening I wrote a blog about everything I had done; in it I mentioned how important our volunteers are, and after 6 months volunteering at Coombes I can say that this view has only been reinforced for me.
Our work party volunteers, day volunteers, visitor centre volunteers, (and if I can blow our trumpets for a brief moment, residential volunteers), all make a massive combined contribution to keeping this reserve not just running, but making it bigger, better, and more connected!
If you’re interested in volunteering, don’t hesitate to get in touch. It is an incredibly rewarding way to spend your time.
Living on site has made Maddie, Sally and myself doubly lucky. We’ve been able to experience the valley when all other visitors have gone; having a forest for a back garden is certainly nothing to complain about!
From brushcutting trails to 5am bird surveys, no two days have been the same here. I have learned so many new things, and gained a huge amount of experience, as well as some very good friends. This woodland is, as many visitors say a ‘hidden gem’, and it will be a very long time before I forget it’s shine.