A very good 10 minutes
I often get into work a bit early. (If my manager is reading this is so that I can plan my day for maximum efficiency and value for money.) But there is another secret reason. It means I can have a quality 10 minutes with nature. All on my own.
WWT Caerlaverock is a very special place for wildlife. It is filled with rare plants and animals and also huge numbers of less rare ones as well. So there is always something to see. But working here can be... a bit of a distraction. You don't exactly get the same experience as a visitor does. Finding a quiet 10 mins at the start of the day can offset the workload and remind you what is special about the place.
At this time of year, as soon as you pull up to unlock the gate the honking whoopers reaches you from the Whooper Pond and Folly Pond. They don’t do anything quietly and so are the backing track of winter WWT Caerlaverock. Just tuning into their conversations and arguments rather than blanking them is a reminder that not many people are lucky enough to have that racket as their daily soundtrack.
swans and Canada geese on Whooper Pond
Strolling through the yard, I surprise the gang of jackdaws that have had the place to themselves since locking up yesterday. They are already in pairs but ganged up, they look guilty as if they have been up to mischief and grudgingly drift to the roof ridges to watch what I am going to do.
jackdaws
A weird whistle and rattle comes from the Visitor Centre roof and a starling is sitting there with a beak full of nesting material while practicing its song in the build up to full on breeding season. It is not long to go and there are hints in lots of the birds activity and dress sense that it is on their minds.
A couple of tree sparrows hang on the front of nest boxes on the old barn, peering in and measuring up, obviously deciding on which boxes best matches their housing aspirations.
On the way to the office door, I spend a minute checking out the snowdrops and alder buds and catkins, signs of the winter-spring transition.
snowdrops
catkins
And then into the office for the daily scan of the Folly Pond. Close up views of teal, distant views of curlews, a flight of barnacles drift past. All food for the soul.
Shortly after, the switching on of the computer begins the daily skirmish of emails and the 10 minutes of nature gets a bit diluted but it never goes completely. That brief top up does me until the end of the day.
If you can find a slot in your schedule, like during the walk to the shops, waiting at the bus stop or looking out of the window with a cup of tea, you will see just how amazing a mere 10 minutes can save you from the grey of everyday. Try it and see how much better you feel.
Words and pictures by David Pickett
