Work Experience on the Marshes
I have been undertaking a two week period of work experience here on the reserve, learning practical land management skills, surveying, and seeing lots of new birds. I have enjoyed the variety of tasks I’ve been involved with; particularly the surveying, but also learning about how the marshes are managed and why things are done as they are.
After weeks of revision it was great to get out and about and do some hands-on work; I’ve helped mend fences and put in posts for the Powderham viewing platform, altered gate fastenings, and learned to use the brush-cutter. This is hot work in all the sun we’ve been having, but you can really see the difference you’ve made.
Several times in the past fortnight I’ve been down to Bowling Green Marshes. There has been a lot of excitement there recently with the presence of some rare birds and I was lucky enough to see the Boneparte’s Gull, thanks to the other birders who let me look through their scopes. Unfortunately the Ross’s Gull didn’t make an appearance, but I did also see the Spoonbill and Spotted Redshank, both of which were new sightings for me. The estuary viewing platform has become very overgrown so we started strimming there in preparation for its reopening.
One of the days when the other volunteers were out training and I had a few jobs of my own to do, I found a Whitethroat fledgling sat looking a bit sleepy in the road. It had insects all around its beak and - as with all baby songbirds - it was extremely cute! I mean, I’ve heard of babies falling asleep in their dinner, but really, doing it in the road was cutting things a bit fine! In all seriousness though, it’s possible it was caught in the backdraft of an HGV during flight and buffeted about. Luckily it was unhurt, so I gently picked it up and placed it in the hedge.
Whilst surveying on Exminster and Powderham I’ve seen the Cirl Buntings and the juvenile Lapwings. Most Lapwings seem to have moved on but there are a few still lingering. There have been plenty of opportunities to hear the warblers and we did even get a glimpse of the illusive Cetti’s Warbler. I’ve had really good views of the Reed Bunting, and learning to distinguish the songs of the Sedge and Reed Warblers has been a rewarding challenge.
Although my two weeks have come to an end, I will definitely be back as a work party volunteer!
Jasmine Clark
Biology student