Conservation - Do you do any? (1 Viewer)

Hi all,

I was just wondering out of all you birders out there how many of you are actively involved in conservation work and to what extent.

Personally, I'm talking to a great bloke who organises the local RSPB group trips about getting involved at my local nature reserve, Brandon Marsh. Sounds like he might be able to get me started sometime. I think it would be great to put something back rather than just reaping the rewards of other people's efforts.

Sam

Raptors Rule said:

Hi all,

I was just wondering out of all you birders out there how many of you are actively involved in conservation work and to what extent.

Sam

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I'm a member of "Friends of Lavells Lake", a charitable body that manages " Lavells Lake", part of Dinton Pastures Country Park near Wokingham Berks under the Guidance of the Park Management.
We do monthly work parties to clear scrub and some invasive tree's ( mainly Poplars planted by the original owners (gravel extraction company ). Our next monthly task is to remove fencing around a new area of reedbed ( kept the geese from eating newly planted Phragmites ) this will then be moved to a new area of soil which was pushed into the lake last year creating a shallow 12-18 inch shelf, about 15 yards deep and 50 yards wide, we will then plant this area with clumps and small shoots from an area of reed that is getting too overgrown ( we cut this last workparty ). Its a cold, wet, mucky, smelly job, but someones got to do it.

We also intend to plant at the back of a scrape, recently redug, down to an average depth of about 8 inch, after drying out ( Crassula ? an invasive plant ). We also fundraise to assist in payments to contractors for paths, sluice ( as we are part of the flood plain of the River Lodden we need this to reduce flooding in the nesting season ), and materials for new hides fencing, bird food and feeders etc. Wokingham District Council and their Park Management are a great help in all that we do, in that they provide much funding, manpower, tools and organisation, along with other volunteer bodies.

Friends of Lavells Lake.
C/O
Dinton Patures Country Park
Davis Street
Reading
RG10 0TH.

All funds gratefully received!.
Tosend a brickbat, you need to attend a workparty.:-O
Organised workparties, 4th Sunday of each month 10am Lavells car park.
Tea and Coffee provided by Betty.

Alan Rymer
Hon Sec

Admin

If I'm not allowed this blatant advertising, please remove the offending parts!

First photo show re-dug scrape in background, Foreground left area for Sand Martin Bank.
Second photo, Part of area where latest reedbed dev to go ( you can see the shallow area ).
Third Photo, Part of last years reedbed dev with fence to be removed.
P.S. All this reedbed dev area is on a large Island where the public has no access.

It's not much, but I'm a member of the Audubon Society, and I donate a bit to them every now and then. |=)|

Hi Mr Raptor.

I love getting invloved in conservation and I try to do so as much as possible.

I am currently a member of the RSPB volunteer group at Farnham Heath, Surrey. It is currently mostly conifer plantation that we are helping to convert to vibrant heathland. I love working there voluntarily, and hopefully, I may get some payed work there at some point in the future.

If anyone is thinking of visiting to do some birdwatching, don't bother! We are constantly making jokes in the group about the fact that there are so few birds around (e.g. if we see a Robin we say ''oh look, a bird!!". Although having said that, we did hear some Woodlark singing the other week, and a Dartford Warbler has been seen.

Sean F

After 20plus years doing it-I now teach it, and have done for the last 8 years,although i must say,after all this time there's one thing I make sure my student's know-you'll never make any money from it, I also teach Forestry and Arboriculture and probably 90% gain employment or are selfemployed, and a lot of these make better money overseas,I know that it's not about money (it never has been for me),but sometimes the important things bring the least rewards financially and the best spiritually.............

Thanx for all of your comments - It's great to see that plenty of birders do actually do quite a bit for conservation and the like. Nothing much more to say, except KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!
Cheers everyone,
SAM

For anyone who has the time available for such a commitment, the best way to get involved in conservation is to do a spell of residential volunteering work. I did 6 months with the RSPB, 3 months with the Norfolk Wildlife Trust and 4 months with the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust during a work placement for a college course. As well as doing a good amount of work of for the environment, i saw some fantastic birds just from spending so much time on decent sites. Obvioulsy it is not practical for most people to do such long periods of unpaid work but much shorter spells are possible. It is a brilliant experience i would recommend to anybody.

joe

working with nature conservation in S.America

Just in the UK or worldwide?

I have worked with nature conservation for the last 25 years, 3 years in Denmark and 22 years in South America.

Have been working in most of the important bird areas of northern South America, include places like Santa Marta, Paria, Merida, Cauca and Tolima.

Aim currently works with a bat/bird project here in South-east Colombia, with the goal to estimate how much habitat lost really effect bats and in how large densities they can manage to survive in destroyed habitat.

We have also found no less than 14 bird species, 12 reptiles, 20 frogs, 39 plants and 16 mammal species which is new to Colombia during our work here in the past two years. Aim part of a large team of 32 people which monitore this region and we expects to find a lot more in the future. :king:

Try your local Wildlife Trust. Voluntary work maintaining reserves, logging species and contributing financially makes a difference. My local Gwent Wildlife Trust reserve is one of the highest beech woodlands in the UK. Ravens are the main draw for me. Dozens of them. :t:

Amazonas_Alex said:

Just in the UK or worldwide?

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Whatever suits you best - I'm not concerned which country it's in, as all conservation work is important.

Sam

oldgiteggy said:

Try your local Wildlife Trust.

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That's exactly what I am doing - Warwickshire Wildlife Trust. My local patch is their best (at least in my opinion and it seems most other people's) reserve, Brandon Marsh.

Sam

Raptors Rule said:

That's exactly what I am doing.

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Good one. There's also the Contryside Commissions, National Trust reserves and local government biodiversity groups. The latter in our area is currently creating scrapes to encourage wildlife back onto unused industrial land and maintaining sites for resident lapwing.

I work directly in conservation but I am also the Icelandic goose co-ordinater for Fife in my spare time.