Meet Jake - Sandwell Valley's youngest volunteer!

Hello, my name is Jake,I am 7 years old and have been a regular visitor to RSPB Sandwell Valley for about 4 years.

Jake in his RSPB uniform - with his binoculars of course!

My dad is a volunteer for the RSPB & works with the children’s group Sandwell Swans which I go to with my sister Hannah.

Jake and his sister Hannah bird watching at Sandwell Valley

We help out with lots of exciting events at Sandwell Swans, including my favourites which are bug hunting and pond dipping.

When we first came to the RSPB, we really didn’t know what to expect but in time we got to know the really friendly staff & became regular visitors, to all of the events, which were then operated out of the temporary classroom.
Since then, I am a few years older & more knowledgeable about the things around me, and me and my sister have become RSPB Volunteers. I can identify most of the birds I see around the valley, as we attend the monthly guided walk & also told what’s around by some of the other Experienced Bird Watcher Volunteers.

A goldfinch feeding outside the Visitor Centre - Taken by Jake

Also I know a lot of the bugs, butterflies and some of the plants and trees. We also like looking at fungi but this I find is quite difficult to identify properly, so we are still working on that.

A peacock butterfly and a bee, both taken by Jake in the Wildlife Garden

Since the new Visitor Centre Nature’s Reach has opened, it has really improved the amount of things we can do around the valley, including being able to pond dip whenever we want to & having our lunch in the warm, while looking out of the window at all the different bird on the feeders & the fox & squirrel.

Finding newts, mayfly larvae and other creatures while pond dipping!

I think most of the staff now  know me and my sister, as we have been coming here for a long time now but they still greet us with a smile and are also very helpful and friendly towards us.
That’s the main reason we keep coming back to RSPB Sandwell Valley.

 Jake 

This blog is one in a series we are running about the fabulous volunteers that keep RSPB Sandwell Valley alive and thriving. We want to show off the amazing mix of people who come here from all walks of life helping save nature and inspiring others about wildlife on our reserve, and we want to encourage you to get involved too. 
Whether it's getting your hands dirty, showing a little one their first frog, or being that friendly face in our new visitor centre there's something you can have a go at.  Visit rspb.org.uk/volunteering or contact Lucy hodson: lucy.hodson@rspb.org.uk, 0121 357 7395.