So long, Marianne
The sun is hot on my face and bees buzz in the red clover. Somewhere nearby a sedge warbler is making a big fuss about something. And me? I am sitting on a bench in the wildflower meadow thinking I didn’t know my last swan talk was the last one.
This makes sense if you know that I am leaving WWT Caerlaverock for the bright lights of Edinburgh to pursue a masters in Outdoor and Environmental Education. I’ve been with Caerlaverock for nearly three years now – and longer if you count my time as a volunteer before that – so I have been thinking about the past a lot. The good times, the not-so-good and everything in between.
But let’s go all the way back.
In the beginning... Okay, maybe not that far back.
I started volunteering at Caerlaverock in the summer of 2021. I helped rebuild a fence on the far side of the Lochar. I rounded up the sheep on a baking summer day in anticipation of their yearly appointment with their barber. I cleaned the inside of a lot of hides. I made friends and started to learn about what a fantastic place Caerlaverock was (and is!). And most importantly? It made me want to come back.
So I did. Summer of 2022. I graduated from university with a degree in Conservation Biology and Ecology and was back in Dumfries and Galloway trying to work out what to do next. I worked unrelenting shifts in a hotel and volunteered at Caerlaverock to try and stay in touch with my area of interest.
And what fun I had! While working at the hotel, I was spending so much time inside and was either arriving at work while it was still dark or getting home to darkness. Being able to get outside and use my body to do something useful was incredible. Rewarding is always the word that comes to mind when people ask about the benefits of volunteering and I’m still not sure that even covers it. There’s something quite special about knowing you are doing a good thing for someone (or something!) else, using your body in a physical way so you get the endorphins of exercise and being outside, and hanging out with a bunch of lovely and likeminded people! If you asked me again, I wouldn’t choose a word, I’d just tell you to give it a go.
During this time, Caerlaverock was on the hunt for someone to work in the Visitor Centre. I was encouraged to apply and on doing so got the job! I was excited to be out of the hotel and working on a nature reserve. One step closer to where I wanted to be. Or more accurately, half a step in a direction that felt more aligned to what I maybe might want to do perhaps one day (being a graduate is hard!).
While working in the Visitor Centre, I became involved with the social media and blog, creating posts and taking pictures (you can read my first ever blog here!). Learning to communicate with our offsite visitors engrossed me and I began to realise that this was the thing I was looking for – a vocation where I was communicating with people about the natural world around them and encouraging them to take action to protect it. What's more, I learnt to love winter: there is nothing like spending the colder (and darker) months on a nature reserve to reveal to you the joys of this time of year. Crunchy frost under your feet. Honking geese and whooping swans. Sunrises over the saltmarsh.
By March, my contract had come to an end but in a twist of events no one was expecting (least of all me!), someone else reduced their hours at the same time so I was asked to come back. So I did.
And this time for good.
I've had four different job roles while at Caerlaverock but always had one mission in mind: show people what is so amazing about this little part of the world.
Some highlights:
Learning about birds and discovering that they really are ALL THAT! This particularly hit me when I saw a lesser redpoll for the first time on the feeders and was the first of the team to see it that season.
Creating a wildlife gardening leaflet featuring all the things people can do for nature in their own outdoor spaces.
Every trip out onto the saltmarsh. The expanse, the plants, the peace.
Fixing up the Visitor Centre (if you haven’t visited recently, you definitely should!).
Hosting groups like the Parents Inclusion Network, D&G Young Carers and D&G Recovery Together and creating fun and interesting days for them.
After 3 (and a bit) years, what have I learnt? What I want to do next. About the zonation of the saltmarsh. The right way to upset wildfowlers on social media. And how to answer all the questions that people have after a swan talk.
Things I am yet to learn? My favourite bird (I am currently somewhere between a goosander because I love their haircuts and a barnacle goose because obviously). What the future holds beyond my degree. All seven uses of 7-in-1 pliers (someone please tell me! What are the sixth and seventh uses!?).
What will I miss? Everything.
So for real this time, it’s been a good one, Caerlaverock.
If you are interested: a blog I thought was my leaving blog and then wasn't.
And some of my other favourites: Holy moly! It's holy grass and The crunch of snail shells.
Words and pictures by Marianne Nicholson. Cover image by Andrew Perry.
