When I was very kindly awarded the Outstanding Achievement award at our recent Staff Conference, I told my colleagues that I find it quite hard to express what the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) means to me, so I thought I would try here…
In 2015, at the age of 30 I decided to quit a full-time job as a secretary and put myself through university to study Ecology and Conservation, and hands down, it was the best decision I have ever made.
Having not come from a rural, farming, field sports or academic background, I never thought in a million years I would have the opportunity to work for an organisation like the Trust, let alone work in wildlife research - but here I am! I now work for the Trust as a research assistant, involved in some incredibly exciting research with the most amazing, skilled and knowledgeable colleagues.
"My first weeks working at GWCT showed me what a broad range of conservation research is carried out by its scientists – and I was hooked!"
Joining the organisation in 2018 absolutely changed my life, giving me greater purpose and providing me with an astounding number of opportunities to challenge and better myself. I have always been immensely proud to work for an organisation that covers such broad, important areas in wildlife conservation, and which relies on science to make informed decisions about how best to manage our countryside.
Within the few years I have worked at the Trust, I have been lucky enough to work with many extremely hard working and dedicated colleagues, in a number of research departments, including our Wetlands team, Farmland Ecology Unit and Predation team, carrying out a plethora of wonderful activities to assist various conservation and research projects. This year has been no exception and it is here I have been asked to share my busy and exciting year with you…
At the start of 2022, I was working as the Communications and Research Assistant on the GWCT Owl Box Initiative (OBI) project, which aims to promote barn owl conservation measures. This allowed me to get out and about and to speak with various people; starting with two nest box building workshops with Sparsholt University Centre students and giving a talk to Andover College Geography students to share project aims and my experiences of working in conservation research. I also had the pleasure of sharing the project’s story with Salisbury Young Farmer’s club and a local shooting society, all of which were very inspired to do more for the conservation of the barn owl.
"I made small mammal ink tracking tunnels with Salisbury Young Farmer’s Club after giving a talk about the OBI project and the varied work carried out by GWCT."
"I had lots of fun with Sparsholt University Centre students, who worked hard to make their own barn owl nest boxes at an OBI workshop."
In this role, I continued to promote the OBI project through various media outlets, celebrating occasions such as National Nest Box Week and got out in the local community with a colleague to help a local resident mount a number of barn owl nest boxes. The project also purchased owl nest boxes for two new farmers clusters, to support their enthusiasm for barn owl conservation.
More broadly my OBI role this year has given me opportunity to test a survey method for small mammal monitoring, report to our funders, digitally map habitat and analyse barn owl pellets to further the project’s research aims. I have been able to work directly with land managers on the ground to discuss habitat, and with our undergraduate students to train them in owl pellet analysis. This training meant they could take responsibility for a key part of our research into barn owl diet. Finally, I have had the wonderful privilege of ringing barn owl chicks through project nest box monitoring (carried out under licence) across the local farmer clusters we have been working with.
"I have been able to assist colleagues in barn owl nest box monitoring (under licence) and gain more experience in bird handling and ringing."
Working at the trust I also have ample opportunity to get involved with work not directly linked to my role and this year I have been able to learn various new skills. I have been involved with soil sampling, testing and setting bat detectors, assisting with a water vole reintroduction project, testing acoustic lures for species monitoring and trialling materials to improve the sustainability of the GWCT Mink Raft.
As you can see, I am a very lucky individual, and get to have many unique wildlife experiences by working on a range of conservation projects here at the Trust. So, I would like to dedicate the award to each and every one of my colleagues whose skills and knowledge inspire me every day, and who have provided me with these wonderful opportunities. Thank you to you all.
Stay tuned for Part 2, where my move to the Trust’s Predation team in early Spring gave me the opportunity to work with the most pressing bird of conservation concern in the UK (and much, much more)…