Re: Volunteers

Hi all,

Just wondering how many wildlife volunteers we have out there, and what you have all been up to. Also thought it would be nice to kick off a volunteers forum.

I have been extremely fortunate in "acquiring" (lent) nine acres of ancient woodland which I am hoping to develope into a mini nature reserve, the site is located in Kent (Canterbury area) and the wood is in sore need of regeneration - it is a very dark wood due to the extensive canopy, so the first job will be to create a few glades to let the sun in and breathe some life into the area, got a lot of scrub to clear - mainly ground ivy, some brambles and nettles.

On site there is a huge "live" Badger Sett which unfortunately is situated on an almost inccessable bank, so I guess steps will have to be cut into the bank in order to monitor said Badgers - a good distance from the sett of course!

My day job is in Mental Health and I have a number of volunteers within my client group that are keen to transform this wood into the wildlife haven that it is crying out to be.  However - we all know our limitations and here's the bottom line in this rather lengthy post, what we really need is some help, I wonder if there is anyone out there in the general area of Canterbury that might like to volunteer some time in helping us get this project under way, whatever time or skills you have will be greatly appreciated.

It is hoped that the proposed mini reserve will transform into a place of peace and tranquility where we can take our service users for some sorely needed R'n'R

Hi there - this sounds like an interesting project. Unfortunately I don't live near enough to assist, but hope you find some willing helpers!

I've been voling with the RSPB for a few years now. My usual haunt is the Peregrine watchpoint at Symonds Yat Rock overlooking a loop in the River Wye. A typical day goes:

1. Arrive - locate Peregrine(s) on one of their half dozen or so favourite perches;
2. Carefully align and lock telescopes on to Perched peregrine and invite visitors to take a look;
3. Say to young visitor "please don't move the telesc.... oh - too late";
4. Repeat 2 thru 3 as necessary.

There's a bit more to it than that. I see my role as ensuring that visitors have a positive experience and get to see the Peregrines if possible. We can often offer Goshawks, Fallow Deer, Wood Mice, Bank Voles, and miscellaneous tits, finches and Nuthatches if the star attractions aren't behaving. We have long days (10 - 6 with almost no sitting down) but I wouldn't swap them for anything.....

- Choose native species of local provenance i.e. is the wood beech, ash, oak? Encourage seedlings and use tree tubes to section them off and prevent browsing

- Choose species suited to your soil conditions (i.e. as natural a composition as possible)

- Aim for a diversity of structure (canopy trees e.g. oak ash, interspersed with shrub species e.g. hazel hawthorn etc)

- Oak, ash, willow & birch all support a great diversity of insects (bird food), as do shrubs like hazel, hawthorn, blackthorn) seeds of all of these have value.

- Bramble as you mnetioned is superb for nesting and food (berries and insects), and for butterflies.

- Depending on situation, provide buffer strip around wood edge with grassland to outside and scrub species planted between it and wood proper (this is especially beneficial if your wood abutts intensive farmland)

- Avoid planting in straight lines and even spacings: this leads to wind funneling and hence cooling in the wood

- Select some species like blackthorn to develop thickets

- Space canopy trees quite widely and intersperse with shrubs; when maturing this will give space for crowns to develop otherwise you will have a lot of bean poles! Open grown trees offer the best for all wildlife

- During planting, use geo-textile mats (google for suppliers) to prevent weed competition rather than herbicide or plastic mats. If staking canopy trees remember to remove ties after a few years or they will damage/kill the tree. If using tree tubes to protect from rabbits etc, remember to remove after a few years

- Don't worry if a few die this is natural and the gaps are good.

- For a comprehensive nestbox guide please refer to (download): http://www.bto.org/notices/nestbox_guide.htm

Details of the woodland grant scheme: http://www.defra.gov.uk/erdp/schemes/wgs/default.htm

Also check out our near you pages: http://www.rspb.org.uk/nearyou/index.asp perhaps something worth contacting our local groups about to see if you can get further input and assistance?

All the best

L

I am a volunteer at Marshside - after almost six years working at The Lodge I chose to move on (so far unsuccessfully) and this required a return to my northern roots. I always enjoyed doing extra work at the RSPB through events such as BGBW, FTBD, Minsmere Bird Fair, the AGM and Member's Weekend so it was a natural move to keep this going in some way after I left. Part (of the many) reasons for leaving my job was because I found that I enjoyed face-to-face work so much along with the challenge of busting through some of the less favourable attitudes that exist in bird watching from a conservation point of view. I am an ex/occasional twitcher but I enjoy seeing common birds like goldfinches so I don't care if someone is new to birding and they have never seen black-tailed godwit despite the fact that we have around 700 (more on the outer marshes?) on the reserve. The real fun is getting everyone out of hide full of a dozen people all looking out for this one guy's chance to see a single bird and seeing them proudly let him see the bird through their telescope. It is not about the biggest list or a photographic memory for taxonomy (based on an actual experience), it is about basic bird watching.

Also keep your eyes out in the groups sections - as we develop the site we hope to create specific groups there for volunteers..

Might be worth posting your appeal there as well!

L

I have justs put myself forward for the Black Tailed Godwit nestwatch not to far from Warton, Lancashire.  So hopefully I will get excepted. 

Hello AC,

Are you a member of the RSPB Canterbury Local Group?  There might be some people there who would love to help.  http://www.rspb.org.uk/groups/canterbury 

Hope that helps.

LB

I'm an RSPB volunteer at Kinnordy Loch reserve, for Bird Friendly Schools, Volunteer & Farmer Allience and I have a pin badge box to keep an eye on.  I think a volunteers forum would be a great idea too!

LloydScott

Also keep your eyes out in the groups sections - as we develop the site we hope to create specific groups there for volunteers..

Might be worth posting your appeal there as well!

L

There is already a 'Volunteers group', only 3 of us have joined so far so pretty quiet, if you are interested have a look under the 'groups':-

http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/groups/

I have spent the morning at Strumpshaw Fen, clearing and burning scrub (we like starting fires) to improve the reed beds. 

It's a great way to get involved and often see parts of the reserve not usually open to public, you can get up close to the wildlife, lots of Swallows feeding and several Marsh Harriers about, and a few lightly smoked geese!!!

I really think this would be a good idea, the groups section is pretty quiet so I think a section in the main area of the forum would be a much better idea and maybe allow more discussions and chat, and maybe some other people may want to get involved as well.