This weeks sightings blog takes on a new twist as we meet the new interns who will be living at Coombes for the next six months.
Written by Visitor intern Sally, here are her first impressions of the reserve and her thoughts about what's to come in ther near future. Over to Sally...
Coombes Valley has had a new recent sighting; three wide eyed, beaming, eager beaver interns. Matt, Maddie and I (Sally) were ready to fall in love and learn something (or many things) at every turn through the woodland. We visited to get a feel for Coombes and Churnet Valleys before taking up our roles in the coming weeks. We were there to learn just what it is the reserve team do and why they do it; quite simply they love nature, its breathtaking beauty and complexity, even the cold and drizzly bits and they want you to love it too.
New Interns, from left Sally, Matt and Maddie, photo by Rachel Edwards.
After introductions, a few cups of tea and an awful lot of information Steve took us on a mini tour of both sites. The recent weather seems to have had a flair for the dramatic; there were freshly fallen trees all the way along the trail and huge root systems were torn, exposed across the path. Maddie and Matt definitely had a gleam in their eyes when the discussion turned to chainsaws… Fortunately for us the sun stayed out in the morning and, despite Steve’s gleeful encouragement, none of us managed to ‘face plant’ in the mud. The cherry on top of our woodland walk came when we spotted two buzzards wheeling above us in the sunshine, just the other side of the canopy.
We had an awesome day walking the trails, taking in our surroundings and absorbing huge amounts of information, I for one definitely need to work on my identification skills. One thing we spotted was a beautiful fungus that I have since discovered is named Scarlet Elf Cup. This made Tuesday feel even more like it was a magical day in the woods! What I have come away with is possibly even more excitement than before. I have a greater understanding of what the coming months will entail. I know this is the beginning of a love affair with Coombes Valley, even after an afternoon in the cold and drizzle.
Scarlet elf cap fungus, photo by Jarrod Sneyd.
The final question of the day: am I happy to stay for six months then? Well, it’s a tough one, choosing to live amongst rolling hills and birdsong but I suppose someone has to do it!
See you in a couple of weeks, Sally.