A dedicated volunteer
Gwendy's latest interview is with our dedicated volunteer, Dick ... read on to find more.
Dick has been a keen birdwatcher all his life, going on birdwatching trips to Steart Marshes as a youngster with the Junior Bristol Naturalist group, and then organising his own camping trips to the area as a teenager.
After a professional life as a veterinary surgeon in Portishead, he and his wife decided to retire within easy reach of the marshes and were delighted to purchase a house in Steart village 17 years ago. Dick has been involved with the development of the marshes since then, firstly with the initial earth works and more recently as a WWT volunteer. He loves doing group tours, explaining what the reserve is all about, its not just for the birds, and introducing people to nature. He assists with regular bird surveys and has found the identification and survey training offered by WWT very rewarding, so adding invertebrates, newts, water voles and otters to his repertoire. He has had training to use the 4 wheel drive vehicles, strimmers, brush cutters and the sit in all terrain vehicle, recently starting 4x4 tours of the site to help those less mobile to experience the marshes and its wildlife. His least favourite task, so far, has been weeding around the Ladies loos! Whereas working with a diverse group of like-minded volunteers is one of his greatest pleasures.
