A Fond Farewell

RSPB Mersehead 27 August - 2 September 2022

Last weekend, we said an emotional farewell to Claire and Sam, two volunteers who have just finished their six month residential placement with us.  They both gave an immeasurable amount of time, effort and passion to help keep the reserve running day to day, and also enhance Mersehead for both wildlife and visitors.  It can't be reiterated enough that, with such a small staff team, we simply couldn't do all that we need and want to without the gift of time, skills and moral boosting good company that all our volunteers provide.  So a huge thank you to Claire and Sam, and I will let them finish this blog with a few reflections of their own:

My Time as Mersehead's Favourite Residential Volunteer - by Sam Boothman

For the last 6 months I have been one of the residential volunteers here at Mersehead, though sadly my time here has now ended and I now have to head back to university. There have been so many positives about my time at Mersehead, and I have learnt an awful lot. I will really miss waking up every day and getting to work on this excellent reserve with the brilliant team who work here all year round.

Providing water for the cattle

I should probably start by praising The Roost. The Roost is the home of Mersehead's residential volunteers and it is excellent. On a clear day it is possible to see the Lake District across the Solway and from the kitchen you can see the cattle wandering around the wetlands. Along with the impressive views, we also had very nice and comfortable rooms which helped us feel at home almost immediately. Just outside the Roost is the Sulwath Garden, which is home to a whole host of species.  Some of the highlights during my time here have been a young deer, a greater spotted woodpecker, countless hares, a family of badgers and an extremely irritating crow who’s petrified of Marge Simpson.

The Roost

One of the highlights for me has been helping to look after the cattle. Though it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, I’ve really enjoyed going to count the cattle on a daily basis and it's been interesting to see how they all have their own personalities.

Checking the cows

Over the last 6 months I have also found myself becoming quite good at identifying bumblebee species. Once a month we carried out a bumblebee survey, and although I was completely baffled during the first survey I eventually became quite good at knowing my common carder from my garden bumblebees. It was always a great way to spend a day, walking around the reserve counting bumblebees in what was always lovely weather (you can’t count bumblebees in bad weather).

A Life Less Ordinary - by Claire Farrell

Well, six months are up and looking through my photos I can’t believe the range of experiences I’ve had. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: It’s a huge privilege being able to live and work on an R.S.P.B. reserve, a huge piece of land that is being managed and cared for to promote the well-being of our native wildlife and enhance bio-diversity and the health of the natural world.

I’ll be able to take my new knowledge and experiences and share it with the children in my care when I return to Whaley Bridge Primary in Derbyshire. They in turn will become aware of the essential, interesting, fascinating work that takes place to ensure that they too will enjoy wildlife spectacles that will spark a love and appreciation of the living environment.

Concerns for climate change and changing wildlife patterns and numbers need to be tempered, in my opinion, by the very many positives that take place on a fantastic reserve such as Mersehead. I’d challenge anyone to leave this reserve less mentally and physically well than they arrived, it should be on prescription!

I’ve counted toad spawn:

Grown seeds

Counted geese

Worked with brilliant volunteers

Learned how to use a ride on mower

Found favourite spots

Pawprints on the beach

Seen the sunrise….and the moon rise….

The most perfect things

Grown my own dessert

Whizzed round on my bike

Lived under a rainbow!

Moved cows

Relaxed on the swings

And worked with brilliant people!

With the Mersehead holiday cottages fully booked for summer don’t miss out on the opportunity to stay at Mersehead during the winter months of November and December when the reserve is home to thousands of Barnacle geese and internationally important numbers wintering wildfowl. Check out availability for Shelduck and Barnacle through the hyperlinks.

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*Flooding - Please note that Mersehead nature reserve is prone to flooding during periods of high rainfall and/or strong winds and tidal surges. To avoid disappointment at these times, please contact the reserve in advance of your visit by email in the first instance at mersehead@rspb.org.uk or check the RSPB Dumfries and Galloway Facebook Page for daily updates.