Fond Farewells and Warm Welcomes
Placement students are an integral part of our team. Whilst it is sad to say farewell to our recent graduates, we look forward to welcoming our new recruits.
Every year we are pleased to offer are rare opportunity to gain excellent practical experience at our fabulous wetland sites by offering a number of interesting placements.
These volunteer opportunities are ideal for students currently on an undergraduate degree course who are looking for a sandwich year and are seeking placements offering applied practice in the field. Most of our placements are for twelve months but shorter timeframes are also sometimes available.
One of our recent graduates Miriam Hall, wrote a lovely testimonial reflecting on her time here.
"Looking out from the garden at Criffel and Cumbria… and the starlings all perched chattering on the wires, the many birds descending upon feeders, and as the sun sets the bats flying loops about the insects. And I think I LIVE HERE!!!! What an honour, what a joy, what a place. Looking over the folly now, at godwit and lapwing and snipe (maybe a spoonbill or green sandpiper or little ringed plover) and putting out the honey and peanuts as the mallards run in to eat all they can before the badgers get a chance. And I think I WORK HERE!!!! Looking up as we replace a bench, top the Folly, gather yellow rattle, construct a new hide, scour the Merse for litter, build composters… and thinking THIS IS OUR TEAM… the Caerlaverock team and I get to be part of it, sometimes help lead even. And what a bunch!! It is an honour to learn with you and from you, to learn and grow and discover together and to share what I have learnt and discovered along the way.
Looking back I remember arriving and just feeling ‘this is home’, heading out with you all on my first day to herd the sheep and make tree sparrow boxes… the beginnings of our team and how it has grown! (And the beginning of discovering drills and jigsaws and lawnmowers…) Heading out early on Breeding Bird Surveys and seeing the otter in a creek only a meter away!!! And also learning that if I am to get up that early then second breakfast is near on obligatory. And bird ringing (which I enthusiastically fell into on my first working day and haven’t looked back) and all the places it has taken me; Ullswater to help with a barnacle goose round up, Morecambe Bay to help with a study on eiders, Applegarth town and the sand martin bank there, nests and nest boxes on site, and early mornings and late nights and all sorts of adventures. And I could go on… but I might never stop and that would make for a very long testimonial!
Looking forward, I am setting off from Caerlaverock to spend a week bird ringing in a place called Icklesham which is all the way down south. Then I actually go home for three weeks, which will hopefully be enough time to unpack, see family and friends, repack and then I’m off again! This time off to begin the uni adventure. I will studying Conservation Biology and Ecology at the University of Exeter. I look forward to all the adventures, discovery and learning that awaits (though at the same time I really don’t want to leave Caerlaverock!!).
Thank you all so very, very much!!!!! I have had a truly AMAZING time up here; what an adventure, what an honour, what a joy, what a blessing! The people I’ve met (that means you!!), the places I’ve been, the things I’ve seen, all that I’ve got up to and got to be involved in… The wonderful and ever so slightly crazy story of Caerlaverock continues and I am so glad to have been part of it over this last 6 months. Thank you so much for having me, all the best for the future and I’m sure I’ll be back to visit!
Just one last THANK YOU!!!! And bye for now"
We are so fortunate to have had some wonderful people as our placement volunteers and shall miss them all very much. Like fledglings flying the nest we wish them well in their future endeavours and hope their time and experience on our reserve has given them valuable skills and brilliant memories.
