Welcome to the flock!
Hi, everyone.
My name is Charlie and I’m proud to be the new reserve warden at WWT Caerlaverock!
My journey into conservation began five years ago back in Northern Ireland when I decided to change career because I wanted to make positive environmental change through the rest of my working life. I’ve always loved nature but I was never aware of any career path into the conservation sector. Luckily I got a very supportive shove from my amazing partner Lisa to jump back into education.
I first came to Scotland in 2021 to study a degree in Wildlife Conservation and Management and that same winter I visited WWT Caerlaverock for the first time and was blown away. From the hordes of barnacle geese passing overhead with a deafening cacophony of yapping (similar comparisons can be made about my colleagues) to the ghostly apparition of the male hen harrier searching for its next victim over the vastness of the merse, I was immediately infatuated with this reserve.
I started volunteering here shortly after this and have loved every second of it. Two years on, I am now ready to take on the challenge of protecting and improving WWT Caerlaverock for the amazing habitats and species we guard as part of this hard working team.
Words by Charlie McGrath-Hayes
