Howdy folks! Chris the Visitor Guy here. Introducing a new face you may be seeing around the reserve for the next six months. Paige has joined us as our new conservation intern. But I will shut up and let her talk about herself...

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Hi there! As the new Practical Conservation Intern and new addition to the warden team, I would like to introduce myself and give you some background information, since after all you will be seeing me around for the next six months.

My name is Paige Donnelly, I have recently finished a Master of Research degree in Endangered Species Recovery and Conservation at Nottingham Trent University. For my master thesis, I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Australia and carry out a camera trapping study on the spotted-tailed quoll (Dasyurus maculatus maculatus). During my time in Australia, in addition to working on my thesis, I volunteered as a Field Research Assistant for the Australian Quoll Conservancy for over three months. It was during this time that I realised just how much I enjoyed being outdoors within the species habitat, facing different challenges every day, working and fighting for natures survival. For some reason, species endangerment just felt more real to me than ever before, regardless of all the scientific papers, news articles and books I had read on the subject. From this moment on I knew, it was my goal to work in the field.

As a graduate and recently appointed Practical Conservation Intern at the RSPB, I am a passionate individual seeking the knowledge, skills and practical experience required to make a career in the field of wildlife conservation. Volunteering for the RSPB who are brilliant at what they do, will allow me to improve my knowledge of nature conservation and gain practical experience in managing nature reserves. I have always loved nature and felt an eagerness to explore and learn. Overtime and after studying at University, I discovered just how deeply passionate I am about science and all the things it can tell us about the natural world. I am a very proactive hands-on person who doesn’t mind getting stuck in the mud at times, and here at Frampton Marsh, I am really looking forward to getting stuck in. I want to use these next six months to learn everything I can from the experienced and skilled staff and volunteers here. I am particularly keen to improve my bird identification skills and progress from a novice birder into a somewhat competent birder, unless that is too ambitious, but I like to aim high first. If I learn something new every day then I am happy.

After spending my first week at Frampton familiarising myself with the reserve and meeting all the friendly staff and volunteers, I can tell you I am loving it! I am very excited about the months ahead and can’t wait to meet the rest of the team.

See you around!