Here is the second installment of Brian's work placement blog. We would like to say a huge thanks to Brian for all his help during his placement in April (and for the chocolates he brought us at the end!). Our volunteers are the lifeblood of the reserve, giving up their time and talents to help us towards our conservation goals. So thanks again Brian, we hope you enjoyed it!
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Brian's Work Placement Blog - Week 2!
MondayAnother very interesting day on my work placement at RSPB Loch Leven. In the morning I assisted the reserve volunteers with fence repairs on the reserve, to keep the sheep and highland cows in place. The livestock graze the reserve to keep grass nice and short for nesting lapwing. In the afternoon I helped the reserve warden look for more lapwing nests. A few more found!
TuesdayToday I helped the field teachers Judy and Craig with a school group visit from Inchview Primary School as part of their 'Biodiversity and Birds' topic. Along with Vicky the reserve warden, I helped by using a telescope in the 2nd hide to let the kids see a real life lapwing sitting on a nest! They certainly seemed very impressed to see the nesting bird, as they had just learned about lapwings from Judy and Craig.WednesdayA somewhat more physical day today. A works party from BT were visiting RSPB Loch Leven today, to do some volunteering. Along with Vicky and the team of reserve volunteers, we all worked together to remove some trees from the Heritage Trail. The trees were removed because in time, they would block the views of Loch Leven. A somewhat busy day, but since there was a large group of us, all working together, we managed to get the job done! ThursdayAnother school group visited RSPB Loch Leven today, this time 5th and 6th year students from Perth High School. I helped the field teachers Judy and Craig show the students the reserve, and we took them for a walk up to the top of Vane hill. Vicky, the reserve warden, gave an interesting talk on managing a nature reserve, and was able to use the clear views from Vane Hill to show the new improved wetlands.After lunch, we all took a walk down to the hides, returning to the classroom to have a discussion on conflicts between land users and owners. A very interesting day, it was a complete contrast helping with a school visit from 5th and 6th year secondary students today, compared to the Primary 2 pupils on Tuesday.FridayAll too quickly, today was my last day of work placement at RSPB Loch Leven. Kim Ross, the reserve warden from RSPB Kinnordy visited today, and, along with Vicky the warden for RSPB Loch Leven, we spent the day monitoring lapwing nests. Sadly, it looked like a few nests had been predated on by crows. On a more positive note, two more nests had been located.My two weeks work placement at RSPB Loch Leven had gone in all too quickly! I had certainly learned a lot, and gained a good experience on working at the RSPB Loch Leven Nature Reserve. Brian.