Well, it is a new year! 2022 how did you come round so quickly? It still feels like 2020 to me! January has been quite busy for me, as there has been lots going on and I’ve had the opportunity to take on some different tasks from my colleagues.
I have managed to attend four volunteering sessions this month with Rosie and James, which has been fun! I found it interesting watching them complete their talks and running the different sessions whilst engaging with the volunteers. In the last session, I even did part of the talk for the volunteers and will continue to build on this in February so that by the end of the month I can do all the talk and the running of the volunteer session!
We held three Volunteer Sessions at Drumbowie Country Park where we built a brand-new pond, which didn’t even need a liner! Just shows how good clay soil is for a pond! There was lots of digging, moving spoil and then in later sessions removing water from the area so we could do more digging! I definitely got very muddy! I really enjoyed these sessions, working with and getting to know the volunteers as well as learning how to create a pond! The pond is now complete and will link with the existing pond at Drumbowie Country Park to form a network of ponds for the local amphibians. It will provide breeding and sheltering habitat for amphibians and a range of aquatic invertebrates.
We also held a Volunteer Session at Muiravonside Country Park, where I put my waders on for the first time and actually got in the pond. Who knew how much fun it is to just be in a pond in waders?! Here the volunteers and I were tasked with carrying out some pond clearance in three of the ponds at Muiravonside. We pulled out vegetation from within and around the edges of the pond and managed to clear a significant amount in each of the ponds. Luckily, no one fell in … but there were some close calls! The new open areas of water will benefit local amphibians, whilst also ensuring the pond doesn’t get too vegetated. We even saw two little newt larvae and they were very cute!
As well as the Volunteer Sessions, I have been helping out with the Mapestry Tour, moving it from venue to venue and setting it up at each venue for all to see! Some other tasks this month have included writing project updates and articles, designing new App cards for the project, developing promotional social media posts and much more. I have also started planning my personal habitat project, which will run slightly different than previously planned, but more details to follow – so watch this space!
