Everything happened and nothing happened

 Tradition would dictate that we have a round-up blog of the season where we talk about the goings-on of the centre. It doesn’t seem right to do that this year but at the same time, it feels like we have so much to tell you. This year has been a paradox; our closed centre became more open, our team couldn’t work but created more, we had fewer visitors but felt more connected, we had no ospreys but our season was longer. Our new normal seems to be adaptive and optimistic.

The team were pushed straight in the deep end, producing videos for Facebook and podcasts to keep people up to date with what was happening on Abernethy. This was not a strong point for anyone before lockdown and I would like to thank you all for being patient with us as we found our feet! I hope that next year we have just as vivacious a team to bring all the best things out of lockdown for the future.  

 This has been the strangest and most difficult year for me as a manager of the centre. For one, I am a sociable being that thrives off the interactions of others to get me through the day. The endless wealth of interesting people we meet at the centre astounds me every year. I liken it to Britain’s Got Talent running into its 14^th season; surely Britain still doesn’t have talent to offer? I am pleasantly wrong every year. Having all our interactions being online was difficult and sometimes felt like shouting into a void. For this, I would like to thank you all for occasionally shouting back. It really made a difference to our team’s morale hearing from you all and challenged us to think about things we hadn’t considered!

I was incapacitated on furlough for the first half of the year and on my return, realised the team no longer needed me. I want to give a big thank you to Rishane, Ewan, Stuart, Neil, Elsa and Bethia. They kept the show on the road in times when no one knew what best to do. I regret not being able to spend more time with this wonderful team and our socially distanced catchups were often the best part of my day. Coming into winter I will have to find new people to talk to through the window. I have already tried with some of my neighbours with limited success.

The biggest loss to us this year felt like not having the cameras up in running in time before lockdown kicked in. I think it would have been a collective strength for this community to share in a positive connection that wasn’t COVID related. In saying that, we might have all gone a little stir-crazy watching the weeds grow atop the nest! Wildlife webcams were an antidote to lockdown for me and I was sad that we were not able to fly the flag for Garten in a time when people needed it most.

I take solace in the fact that this might be the last time we are ever without cameras again for a long time (maybe I have spoken too soon!). I am sure most of you are aware, the centre has been pupating in its chrysalis throughout lockdown, ready to emerge as a beautiful butterfly next year. This has possibly been the most frustrating part due to our desire to share this new building with all of you. Will just have to wait a little while longer before it is ready to welcome the public.

I am quietly confident that this will go hand in hand with a new pair of ospreys taking the nest next year. We have had signs of ospreys in the area, with locals and staff reporting sky dancing throughout the season. Maybe this will translate into a nesting pair for 2021!

This blog has addressed some of the downsides that have come with this season, but there were actually many great things borne out of lockdown too. Having our centre closed meant that we had a full team able to patrol our trails to speak to campers about responsible behaviour when accessing the outdoors. The threat of wildfires on the reserve increases every year with drier weather and more people using the forest. Our team were redeployed to speak to people on the trails. Not only was this great to be able to effectively protect the forest, but we also met amazing people who had never graced the centre with their presence and managed to see the changes in the seasons like never before. There was a spectacular bloom of waterlilies this year and I had next fully appreciated them from my haunt in the centre. Watching the loch change through the seasons gave me a greater appreciation for the reserve that I sometimes forget when I focus too closely on ospreys.

The team collectively walked 1100 miles in their time of patrolling the trails throughout the day and into the evenings and made as many connections with visitors. The positive side to COVID (although there weren’t many) was the ability for people to band together and share experiences which linked all our interactions with visitors. Loch Garten felt like the answer to all the negativity. There was also seeing first-hand how people were using the reserves. When lockdown began to lift there were many horror stories of people littering the countryside with tents and rubbish. Talking to campers and walkers every day really showed us that the vast majority of people are incredibly responsible and all the media hype about rubbish louts in the countryside was not shared by Loch Garten. These interactions really lifted our spirits when so much of the news we saw focussed on doom and gloom.  

The sun has set on another season and we are learning so much on what people want from Abernethy. I looked forward to seeing you all next year when we open. Might have to take a rain check on the hugs though!

 I would like to take the time here to remember two of our volunteers who passed away during this season while we were closed. David Wilson and Karen Nicklin were both a regular staple of my first couple years of working at Loch Garten and it saddens me that we will not share in the reverie of a season once again. I will miss swimming in Garten with Karen and eating David’s speciality dish; puttanesca. Our thoughts are with their friends and families.