Today we have a guest blog, from Ellie. Here is Ellie:
Ellie, by Chris Andrews
She has been with us for the past two weeks, doing work experience for her college course. And here is what she has to say:
Hi, my name is Ellie and I have been here for the last two weeks doing work experience. I am a college student at Askham Bryan, studying Countryside Management and Game Keeping. For this course, I need several hours of work experience in order to pass- hence, my time here at the RSPB. I have really enjoyed my time here, completing various tasks from testing salinity levels of the marsh reserve and helping out in the reserves visitor centre, to being let loose with a pressure washer to clean the RSPB vehicles and getting the opportunity to wield a hedge cutter (not that I was actually able to use it. Health and Safety, you know. I haven’t been trained to use one just yet. Hee hee).
One of the highlights of my time here was seeing a Little Owl; a bird I have not seen before. This was a great feature for me especially, since out of all of the birds, I like owls the most. I was also able to see and hold a toad- an adult male, apparently (much smaller than the females, which are huge). I managed to surprise myself in that moment; never before did I think I would say a toad was cute. But it was!
Little owl by Neil Smith
My time here has been great. Having laughs here and there while working and encountering an occupational hazard- you know the one that some marsh rangers usually suffer? Sinking into mud so much that you end up with stuff flowing over the top of your wellingtons? Yeah, that happened to me while walking through a patch of water on the reserve. My feet were wet for hours!
Is it just me that gets that? Because it seems to happen a lot.
Overall, I would say that this has been a great experience. I would definitely suggest volunteering for the RSPB if they were interested in countryside management, or just have a general interest in wildlife. I would suggest taking a pair of binoculars with you wherever you go so that you don’t miss out on any of the sights. That happened to me a few times, I was not happy in the least. Though catching a glimpse of a weasel made up for it. It isn't until you catch sight of one that realise just *quite* how small they are!
I would be more than happy to return as a visitor, or even as a volunteer. I just hope it doesn’t take me too long to do so
Reedbed, freshwater scrapes, saltmarsh and wet meadow. Frampton Marsh has it all! Come and pay us a visit soon.