What a difference a week makes! It was with some trepidation that I set off from Leeds last Monday to begin two weeks of residential volunteering at RSPB Mersehead. I had been trying to reach the reserve for three days, but the deep snow made it impossible, so I packed all my layers and was braced for freezing weather when I arrived.
And now here I am and although it’s cold, the beautiful sunshine has made my stay at the reserve so far fantastic. Residential volunteering is all about getting stuck into the day to day running of a reserve and at Mersehead this has involved surveying wetland birds, counting geese and helping out with Easter events at the visitor centre.
As well as helping out on the reserve, I’ve had plenty of great opportunities to spot wildlife. I’ve been lucky enough to catch the barnacle geese on the reserve (a wildlife first for me!) before they head off to Norway and then finally back to Svalbard in a few weeks time. We even got to see thousands of them flying out onto the mudflats during “Sunset on the Solway”, an evening guided walk around the reserve. As a relative birding newbie, other bird firsts for me include yellowhammer, meadow pipit and snipe. Mersehead is also home to many mammals. I’ve managed to spot a stoat at the visitor centre, four hares from my bedroom window and will be going in search of the reserve’s elusive otter tonight.
Residential volunteering really is a great opportunity to see how reserves are run and lend a hand with anything and everything that’s going on during your stay. I certainly will be back for more volunteering in the future!
Catherine, Residential Volunteer
If RSPB residential volunteering sounds like something for you visit http://www.rspb.org.uk/volunteering/residential.aspx