Residential volunteers at Lake Vyrnwy can stay in the volunteer accommodation bungalows. In each bungalow there is a log book which people can use to record what they have experienced during their stay. Some people record a brief summary, whilst others keep a more detailed diary. Last week I took the opportunity to read through the log and it struck me how many different tasks and skills volunteers have taken on at Lake Vyrnwy - so here is just a snapshot of the things we volunteers have taken on:
Tree Planting
Gwyneth came to Lake Vyrnwy for the first time this year as a residential volunteer for 2 weeks and experienced the whole range of weather that you get here, snow through to sunshine. Amongst other tasks she helped plant birch trees on the estate, so many that she lost count at 80! The total was over 100.
Painting and Decorating
The volunteer accommodation gets a fresh coat of paint every so often, both inside and out. Many volunteers have taken on this task, the latest being Sue and Cassandre. Sue is a volunteer intern and has become an integral part of the conservation team this year, whilst Cassandre from la belle France joined us for 3 weeks in July.
Photo by Andy Hay, RSPB Images
Nest Boxes
There are 500 nest boxes around the Lake Vyrnwy estate and they are annually checked, cleaned, repaired or replaced. Many volunteers have been involved and some many times over like Nick and Clive who have been spending 2 weeks in the Spring and then again in the autumn for over 20 years. On their last visit they made Goosander boxes, some of the biggest boxes used here.
Helping in the shop and information centre
We are lucky to have a troop of regular volunteers to help in the shop – not just all the tasks you might associate with retail, but also demonstrating optics and providing information to visitors on what to see and where to go. Carrie Anne is a regular volunteer at Vyrnwy – she worked with the Conservation team before moving to the shop.
Lambing
Lambing is an intensely busy time on the RSPB farm and every extra pair of hands is always welcome whether helping the shepherds with the actual lambing or helping Jan run the Lambing events for visitors. Derek has been helping on the farm for a number of years and is a trusted member of the farm team.
Photo by Mike Walker, Lake Vyrnwy
Wild horses round up
Yes we have a small herd of wild horses at Vyrnwy and they come under the care of the RSPB Farm. Sam volunteered for a week at Vyrnwy which coincided with the annual round up when the herd is brought down to a paddock at the farm for an annual health check. Not quite the wild west, but a real challenge for everyone concerned.
Surveys
A significant part of the Conservation work on any RSPB estate is surveying and recording the state of nature – bird surveys especially. Lots of volunteers have helped with this task ranging from early mornings on the moors looking for Black Grouse to checking on the Peregrine’s nest to just walking the woods and listening for different bird calls. It can be confusing listening for the different calls – the best story I have heard is when Sue and one of our wardens Gavin had to stop because the squeak coming from Sue’s wet wellies was masking the calls from Willow Tits.
Netting and Ringing
I know this is sometimes controversial, but one aspect of monitoring bird populations is netting and ringing. Regular volunteer Mike supervises this activity and of course holds special licences to do so. Helping with this activity remains one of the most popular activities for residential volunteers because it involves getting so close to the birds.
Pulling
It is necessary to manage the flora on the estate and unfortunately this involves one of the least popular tasks for the conservation team and volunteers. Pulling rogue fir trees on the moors is not too bad, but pulling Himalayan Balsam is no fun at all as Nigel can testify. This year we had a group of teenagers for a day squashing down bracken using a technique borrowed from Countryfile – I think they would have preferred to watch the robot used to clear bracken from a much bigger area.
Office Skills
Donna is our Office Manager at Lake Vyrnwy covering many tasks including processing expense claims for the volunteers. So far Donna has not had volunteers to help her in the office – so Opportunity Knocks.
Photo by Chris Gomersall, RSPB Images
The hides
There are three hides at Lake Vyrnwy – Coed y Capel , Lakeside and Centenary. All require maintenance from time to time plus collecting of feedback forms so we know what people have seen from the hides and how they feel about their visit. One regular task that volunteers have helped with is cleaning and refilling the bird feeders for the Coed y Capel hide – always popular because the feeders are positioned close to the windows so you can watch the birds and be within a few feet of birds like Spotted Woodpeckers, Siskin, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Goldfinch, Nuthatch, Chaffinch, Red Poll and occasionally Brambling.
Bonfire and Fireworks
Every year we help the village with the annual bonfire and fireworks display. Volunteers like Jane and Geoff help with the preparation, gathering brushwood to start the fire and setting up marquees to house the refreshments. The event is actually staged on the village playing field, well away from the estate.
Education Days
Jan, our Education and Learning officer organises school visits, talks and special events for children at Lake Vyrnwy – ably assisted by volunteer Liz. During this year’s school holidays they ran Wild Wednesday events for children and parents. Previous events included the Gruffalo hunt and visits from the Easter Bunny!
Lake Vyrnwy in bloom
As you may have read in a recent blog we are enjoying the renaissance of flower meadows at Lake Vyrnwy and volunteers do help with surveys of the flora on the estate. But the flowers in bloom I refer to here are those at the front of the shop and visitor centre which is Cynthia’s domain. As well as helping in the shop Cynthia organises things like the hanging baskets outside the shop, popular with the blue tits occupying the nest box on the shop front put up for display purposes only!
Guiding visitors
I have already mentioned how the volunteers in the shop help visitors with what to see and where to see it, but I wanted to take an opportunity to mention two Suffolk chaps, Jimmy and Pete who have volunteered at Lake Vyrnwy for 32 and 25 years respectively. They have covered many of the tasks but one of their claims to fame is guiding the Springwatch team around the estate.
Photo by John Davies, Lake Vyrnwy
Play Area Construction
In 2017 we built a new natural type play area with woven nests, balance logs, log stepping stones, den building, obstacle course, slide, climbing wall, tunnels and mud kitchen. Volunteers like Colin helped the conservation team with the construction and testing the slide, and more recently Selwyn and his watering cans have made sure the new turf on the tunnels survived the dry summer.
Nightlife
Lots of action on the estate takes place during the day, but every so often volunteers work at night. That could be starting out in the dark to do a very early morning Black Grouse Survey or it could be what Cassandre helped with recently – bat surveys.
I hope I have given you a feel for the wide range of volunteering opportunities at Lake Vyrnwy and I have mentioned just some of the volunteers involved by name. Whether you want a role in the open air or in the shop, office or even the workshop you will find a great Vyrnwy welcome for volunteers for every season.
John
Tasgmon/Volunteer Handyman