I entitled my last blog “I can see clearly now...” I should have saved that heading. I’ve looked at Lake Vyrnwy from the dam, from the hides and from the trails but just before Christmas I did something different and looked out at the lake from the terrace of the Lake Vyrnwy Hotel - breath taking, stunning, magnificent - add whatever superlatives you want, the sun was shining and the view was wonderful. If you get the chance you should go see for yourself, you will remember it.
View from the Lake Vyrnwy Hotel Terrace
My original reason for going up to the hotel was to attend a farewell lunch for Jane who as a project manager has made a real difference on several construction projects for the RSPB in North Wales, including the new muck store on the RSPB farm at Vyrnwy (Organic farms need Organic muck, fundamental you might say). Jane is moving on to some RSPB conservation projects across Northern England.
Talking of people who have made a difference, at the end of November my mates Nick and Clive came back to Vyrnwy for their second week in 2017. They have been volunteering at Vyrnwy for rather a long time, more than 20 years, decades really and have seen many changes around the reserve. They travel up from Gloucestershire twice a year and spend a week on the reserve staying in the volunteer accommodation. They have been involved in numerous projects like building and repairing hides, hanging gates, making and fitting countless nest boxes and have even managed to do some birding for themselves from time to time. Clive is a retired cabinet maker, so I have to admit that the week before they come I do spend time tidying up the workshop, sharpening and honing chisels. These are great guys to work with and have some fun. When space for a new workshop became available we worked together building the workbenches for the workshop, and the following year laying new laminate flooring in the volunteer accommodation kitchen. This time I only saw the guys briefly before they drove off around the Lake to do some repairs at the Lakeside hide and later in the week they sorted out some erosion on the pathway in front of the Capel hide. No question, Nick and Clive have made a difference at Vyrnwy.
From left to right: Clive, John and Nick
Someone else who has been volunteering at Vyrnwy is Derek who has been helping out at the RSPB farm for many years. I asked what sort of thing Derek has been doing on the farm and the response was a bit of everything really, he helps with lambing, drenching the sheep, shifting hay and straw around – basically he is a an extra pair of hands wherever needed, a really valued worker who makes a real difference on the farm. I know that Derek has recently had to have an operation on his hip, but we also know that he is on the mend because he did want to come to our Christmas party to join in the celebrations, but couldn't make it this year. So our best wishes go to Derek for a complete recovery, because it’s not long before lambing starts again! In fact just after Christmas we had our first enquiry about the live lambing events in April after a plug in the latest edition of the RSPB magazine.
Tallest tree being measured on the left and the current sculpted hand in its place on the right
Vyrnwy regulars may remember walking the trail ran past the tallest tree in the UK, a Douglas Fir measured at 63.7 metres back in 2011(to be fair there was another Douglas Fir in Scotland of equal height). Sadly the tree became unsafe after some stormy winter weather and had to be felled, only for a neighbouring tree to be declared as the tallest in England and Wales at 60.62 metres. The remaining stump has now been sculpted into a giant hand. In the autumn of 2017 a mobile sawmill was put to work to transform the tree trunk into lumber with a variety of useful sizes being cut, some for fence posts, some for tree stakes, some for nest box construction, and some as general purpose timber. So the old champion is playing a different role as we recycle the timber on a variety of projects around the reserve. I hope to use some of the timber for new elements in the play area such as a natural type see saw - but we are having to wait for the weather to improve before we get to work on the play area again - mud may be great in the mud kitchen, but not when you want to install a play tunnel. Hopefully it won’t be too long before you can see the difference in the play area.
We are fortunate at Vyrnwy to have volunteers who have been making a difference for a number of years; here is Tim's story and how a visit to Vyrnwy was just the start:
If someone told you there was a place with unrivalled beauty, magical wildlife, a mystical ambience, steeped in history, culture and tradition you'd probable be keen to know where this was. Well for me and many others it's the magnificent Lake Vyrnwy... I'm guessing by my first sentence you'll notice I have a special love for this place... and you'd be right! It all started almost last century when I first set eyes on Vyrnwy, after being blown away by the beauty and inspired by the people who work there, I knew I wanted to somehow get involved. Soon afterwards I signed up as an RSPB Volunteer, doing a bit of everything really, filling bird feeders, planting hedgerows with the conservation team, giving guided walks and eventually my best fit came in the form of Visitor Experience Volunteer... a role I continue to enjoy to this day. I suppose after being captivated by Vyrnwy myself, I wanted to share that passion with others. The outdoors has always been close to my heart, from my childhood days making snail zoos in my back garden, to now as a father myself enjoying sharing the magic of nature with my two boys. I hope over the years I've given a bit to Vyrnwy, it's people and the wonderful wildlife with my volunteer work, however I can tell you that I've gained massively from my time here, learning many skills and being constantly inspired by the Vyrnwy team. I'd recommend it to anyone, the feeling you get from doing something that makes a difference and spending time with like minded people is special. In addition to my volunteering at the reserve I've had various paid roles with RSPB, from Membership Development Officer to Face to Face Area Manager. It was a dream come true to work for RSPB and I can thank Vyrnwy, it's their support that helped me gain the skills I needed. Simply I love it!
So if like Tim or Nick or Clive or Derek you feel that you could make a difference, come and give it a try, have some fun and enjoy Lake Vyrnwy with the Vyrnwy Volunteers.
John the volunteer Handyman/Tasgmon
Previous Blog: Festive Recent Sightings