The first two weeks of my six months residential volunteering have passed and what a fortnight it’s been. I had previously volunteered short term at Forsinard Flows in the north of Scotland and knew the long term residential volunteering scheme that RSPB offer seemed like a very good idea for six months.
Having completed my degree in environmental science a few years ago and ending up managing a busy pub since then, I wanted to swap the relentless working hours and late nights for something outdoors, get away from the city for a while and hopefully learn new skills that will help me in a future career. The Exe Estuary seemed like a natural choice having spent many holidays in this area when I was younger and the prospect of seeing wintering avocet was a big attraction. It is also a welcome contrast to the very cold north of Scotland!
The work has been varied and interesting from fixing fences, managing water levels and building feeders to carrying out bird counts, working with other volunteers and doing any other jobs that come up day to day, all with a focus of securing a home for the birds we have here. The highlight so far has been getting a good look at the cirl bunting and large flocks of goldfinch and greenfinch that feed on the cut crop fields over at the Powderham side of the reserve. Why not come and see for yourself?
While the days are getting shorter, the weather has continued to be mild and it has also been a great time to see large flocks of lapwing, black-tailed godwit, teal, wigeon, shoveler, redshank and canada geese on the marshes from the Turf path. We have also regularly heard water rail squealing amongst the reeds and the explosive song of the cetti’s warbler.
Over the next few weeks a large part of the work will be installing a new anti-predator fence that will protect a large part of the reserve already used by breeding lapwing and hopefully encourage redshank to breed in future. There is a lot to see at the moment, so why not pay the Exe Estuary reserves a visit? If you visit the Bowling Green Marsh hide at high tide, you might even get a glimpse of the flocks of iconic avocet with me.
Daniel M.