Fab five win RSPB Volunteer long-service awards
Five volunteers have been given RSPB long-service awards in recognition of their invaluable contribution to restoring nature in the North East, at RSPB Saltholme in Teesside.
Each volunteer was presented with a Kingfisher pin badge to mark 15 years of dedicated service.
RSPB Saltholme first opened its doors in 2009 and the state-of-the-art visitor centre design was itself inspired by the iconic Kingfisher.
Volunteers at the award-winning nature reserve get involved in various nature conservation tasks and recently installed perches where the Kingfisher can rest to seek out their prey, making these iconic creatures easier for visitors to spot.
Volunteers have also been creating the perfect habitats for stickleback and rudd, which are a rich source of food for the Kingfishers, as well as other bird species, such as Grey Heron and Bittern.
Kingfishers are small unmistakable bright blue and orange birds that love to feed around slow-moving or still waterbodies.
They fly rapidly, low over water, and hunt small fish from riverside perches, occasionally hovering above the water’s surface.
They are vulnerable to hard winters, loss of wetlands and habitat degradation through pollution, so the team of volunteers at RSPB Saltholme has been working hard to help provide the right conditions for them to thrive.
Kingfishers are on the green list of conservation concern and are listed as a Schedule 1 species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, offering them additional protection.
Megan Wilson, RSPB volunteer who lives in Wolviston, said, “I wanted to do something completely different after retiring.
“I love nature, birds and people!
“So, I spend my time welcoming visitors to the centre and have met so many wonderful people. I never imagined I would stay for 15 years, and I hope to continue for years to come.”
Claire Freeburn, visitor experience manager at RSPB Saltholme, said, “Everyone loves a Kingfisher and spotting your first one is something you just never forget.
“But looking after our Kingfisher populations is a bit like parenting a teenager.”
“Different birds need different habitats and if all the ponds are covered in aquatic plants the birds just can’t feed there.
“They are very choosy.
“So, the work our volunteers have been doing to clear vegetation to provide open water and adding wooden perches, has been invaluable in helping this most beautiful of birds”.
Chris Francis, smenior site anager, said, “Without our team of 150 dedicated volunteers we simply could not provide the right habitats for Kingfishers and threatened species such as Common Terns, Lapwings and Avocets.
“Volunteers stay with us for many years, and we’re delighted to thank our fabulous five for 15000000 years of helping nature.”
Over 150 volunteers from across the North East help at RSPB Saltholme nature reserve, giving over 2,500 hours of their time each year.
Other conservation tasks the volunteers have completed this year include creating a bee bank for solitary bees, floating tern rafts onto the main lake to provide breeding areas for Common Terns and clearing vegetation from in front of the Sand Martin bank so these birds can easily access their nests.
In the visitor centre, volunteers have welcomed over 22,500 visitors and supported school visits for over 750 local children.
The volunteers receiving their Kingfisher badges were Dennis Bainbridge, from Seaham; Ian Robinson, from Guisborough; Peter Garbutt, from Billingham; Megan Wilson, from Billingham; Bert Mitchell, from Guisborough.
Graeme Bainbridge from Stockton-On-Tees also received his five-year’ service award and a Swift pin badge.
More information on visiting RSPB Saltholme can be found here:
https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/reserves-a-z/saltholme
