Hi I’m Matthew, the new warden intern here at Coombes. Last week was my first here on the reserve and, if it’s anything to go by, the next six months are certainly going to be busy! As a new set of eyes and ears for the blog, I thought I’d give you a quick insight into my first few days on the job and all the amazing people and wildlife I’ve encountered so far.
After moving into the intern house on Saturday I was able to head down into the valley and explore (wellies are a must at the moment). Perhaps it was beginners luck but sitting on the bench at the end of the woodcock trail that evening I was greeted by the sound of a woodcock calling from the heather nearby. It was an excellent welcome to Coombes.
Woodcock, photo by David Tolliday
When Sally (the new visitor intern) arrived on Sunday the exploration continued, though it was evident our birdsong skills are going to need more than a little work. That said, we still had a few close encounters. There were bullfinches and buzzards, we recognised the call of a chaffinch and even saw a hare in the plantation. Hopefully it’s just the beginning as we become more attuned to the woodland and more species arrive for nesting season.
The majority of my week has been spent outside with the day volunteers. Most of them are regulars; they all clearly love the reserve and are driven to make it bigger and better for both wildlife and people. Our days have been spent preparing part of the reserve boundary for new fencing. Its involved lots of hefting posts about in the mud and there were a few near misses with some wellies almost being left behind!
Bullfinch, RSPB image
Perhaps less exciting are the day to day duties that Sally and I carry out because we live on site. Every day we clean the toilets, sweep the viewing platform and check for any litter. Not the most glamorous jobs but so much is done by volunteers at Coombes that it wouldn’t run without them, its one of the first things we learned when we arrived. It shows just what it takes to run a reserve like this and that it’s special enough to inspire so many people to dedicate their time here.The pinnacle of the week came on Friday morning as I was eating breakfast and watching the bird feeders outside the window. Out of nowhere a sparrowhawk swooped down onto the table in pursuit of his own breakfast. Unfortunately for him the blue tits weren’t as passive as my cornflakes and he was unsuccessful on that occasion. However, it’s brilliant to see the huge variety of wildlife that is on the doorstep when you’re lucky enough live and work in an area like Coombes Valley.
The pinnacle of the week came on Friday morning as I was eating breakfast and watching the bird feeders outside the window. Out of nowhere a sparrowhawk swooped down onto the table in pursuit of his own breakfast. Unfortunately for him the blue tits weren’t as passive as my cornflakes and he was unsuccessful on that occasion. However, it’s brilliant to see the huge variety of wildlife that is on the doorstep when you’re lucky enough live and work in an area like Coombes Valley.