As we enter the New Year after a lovely Christmas break, Ranger Alice reflects on some of the highlights of 2021 and what we look forward to in the months to come. 

Last year was an exciting one, as Greg and I began our roles at Bird Wise in October. This is the first time that Bird Wise has had Ranger’s out on the coast, so it was great to figure out what our roles would look like and how we could most effectively look after our feathered friends. We had a really busy few months putting together and beginning our walk and talks, getting to grips with the best way to run our pitstops, and getting to know people from the local community.

The highlight has definitely been chatting with people along the coast here, it’s always lovely to see how excited people are to learn about the wildlife and eager to help protect what we have too. We quickly realised how many people had no idea how damaging bird disturbance could be, so it’s been great to feel that we are getting the word out and helping people know how they can look after the birds. 

Taking people out on walk and talks has been especially enjoyable, as we always seem to spot something interesting and we learn so much from people’s additions too! We’re going to be continuing to run these into the early summer months so if you haven’t joined us yet there’s plenty of time 🙂 check out our events page for details.

Now that we’re back after the Christmas break I’m feeling really excited for everything that’s coming up over the next few months. We’ve got one month left for people to enter our photo competition before we have the fun of judging the entrants. We’ll be doing this alongside local wildlife filmmaker Keith Ross, Thanet Coast Project’s Tony Child and local conservationist Nik Mitchell! Following this we’ll be taking the winning photographs on a mini exhibition tour, showcasing them in three local galleries. 

We’re also going to be carrying out the first ever Great Kent Coast Birdwatch in February half-term; hosting a coastal bike ride to spot the daring dozen; doing more online talks as well as in-person; and doing our first school visits! Our annual report is also due to come out shortly, giving a good overview of everything that we’ve been up to over the last year. It’s definitely going to be a busy start to 2022 but a fun one – don’t forget to check in on our events page and social media for information on all of these events as they come.