I'm Simon Evans (here's a cheesy picture of me) and I've just started to volunteer at RSPB Frampton Marsh as a 'Practical Work Assistant'.
I plan to give regular updates as to my antics around the reserve, so that if you're considering volunteering you'll know exactly what to expect and can't say I didn't warn you!
First of all a wee bit about myself: I'm 38, originally from Wolverhampton in the sunny Black Country, but I've spent the last 22 years (on & off) living in Lincoln andserving with the Royal Air Force. In my current day-to-day job I work as a Flight Planner for the Red Arrows at RAF Scampton (strangely similar name to RSPB Frampton isn't it?). In my 5 years in this post I've found it a very enjoyable, rewarding position, but I do feel a little bit 'office-bound' from time-to-time.
I was a boyhood birdwatcher (and Y.O.C. member!) and often travelled up and down the country with my Dad who was (and still is) a keen birder. He used to inspect power stations for a living and would often take me along to far-flung places like Dungeness and Fairburn Ings. Left on the reserve all day - clad in an orange-lined parka and armed with huge Tasco binoculars, a flask of tea and a pocketful of Spangles - I'd have a great time.
Like a lot of lads I left the hobby during my teens and twenties when other distractions proved more alluring, but it was thanks to the RAF that my interest in nature was re-kindled. In 2007 I was sent on a 4 month deployment to the Falkland Islands. Many forces folk dread a ‘boring tour down South' but for the wildlife nut the islands are fantastic. The experience of sharing a pristine white sandy beach with a colony of inquisitive Gentoo penguins and seeing petite Commerson's dolphins playing in the surf had me hooked.
Upon my return to the UK I purchased a pair of binoculars, a camera and an RSPB field guide and became a birder once more!
Now I'm back in Lincolnshire I've decided to give some of my time and energy to the RSPB. The opportunity to learn some new skills, see some new things and make a difference in protected the natural world was just too good to pass up.
So far I’ve spent one day volunteering at Frampton Marsh. In that one day I tidied up a barn, fixed a fence, nailed some chicken wire onto a wee jetty, learned about the distribution of fresh water around the reserve, jetwashed a 4x4 and saw my first Turtle Dove!
By the end of the day my arms ached but I was absolutely buzzing from the feeling that I'd made my first step towards making a positive contribution to conservation!
I’ll keep you posted with whatever they have me up to next!