This is my last blog at Fairburn as I am moving to Arne in Dorset to work as an Information Assistant there. The bonus is that it is a paid contract but I am really going to miss the reserve here. My time here has been fantastic and I have had a great opportunity to get involved in all sorts of things. I arrived at the end of November as was greeted with heavy snow fall which stayed around for a couple of weeks. I think we got away fairly lightly here as the centre remained open through out but being from the south I am not really used to that much snow. In my first couple of weeks I led some long eared owl walks to the roost at Lin Dyke. I had never seen these great birds before and at this time we had three regularly roosting. I have had fun getting my self on the radio several times and never missed a chance to chase fame, although some of the questions I was asked were a little bit odd. For example - Will birds eat sausage rolls? And how do fat pigeons fly? The most memorable interview was when we had to do an outside broadcast at 8 o'clock in the morning at the top of Redshale road in temperatures of -10. I even got myself on BBC Look North (if only for a few seconds) when they came to film a piece about the reserve being frozen solid for six weeks.
I have had some great bird watching moments on the reserve and apart from the long eared owls highlights included the female smew that took up residence at the Kingfisher screen during the really cold weather, this was another first for me. It was fantastic to see the water rails coming to the feeders on a daily basis and giving visitors brilliant views of a normally elusive bird. I was also lucky enough to watch a barn owl from the centre as it hunted across the fields in the snow. Some of the smaller birds are great too and being able to watch bullfinches, willow tits and redpolls on a daily basis from the balcony is a real treat.
It is sad to leave and I would like to thank all the staff and volunteers for their help and support during my time here. Thanks for everything!
I also got a chance to sample the new Fairburn Pie - which is available later this month!