In this blog conservation student Quin talks us through their work experience placement with Glendale’s Nature Conservation Officer.
I had a really good time during my work experience at Glendale, learning more about what is involved in conservation as well as meeting lots of people with an interest in nature and doing lots of practical work.
Day 1
My first day was an office day near Mountsfield Park, where I met Emily Millhouse, who was really nice and told me about what her job involved- monitoring wildlife populations in parks in Lewisham as well as leading volunteer groups and teaching at local schools. I redesigned some worksheets for a school trip during the morning and in the afternoon I organised the van and made a list of all the items.
Day 2
On my second day I met with a group of volunteers in Brookmill Park, we waded down the river, uprooting Himalayan Balsam and other invasive species. It was amazing to see how much wildlife there was in 1 urban river, including a heron, an egret, several crabs, some moorhen nests, multiple flower species, some ducklings, and a kingfisher box. We also collected lots of litter.
Day 3
I spent half of Wednesday in the office again editing worksheets and then headed to Ladywell Fields Park. We met Jess who works conserving wildlife in public gardens around Lewisham and she gave me some useful tips on where to get more work experience and volunteering in order to pursue a career in conservation. We walked around ladywell fields to check up on the river and we saw a mistle thrush and many other birds.
Day 4
Thursday was another river walk in the river Ravensbourne, there was a large group of volunteers this time, many of which volunteered in the river regularly. We picked up a lot of litter as we waded through the river towards Lewisham and uprooted some invasive plants. We saw some fish and shrimps in the river and there were two peregrine falcons nesting in a high-rise building which was an incredibly lucky spot.
Day 5
I met a group of bird watchers in Hilly Fields Park and with our binoculars, we went around taking note of all the bird species. There was a collared dove, a chiffchaff, a great spotted woodpecker, several long-tailed tits, a buzzard flying high in the sky and we heard a nuthatch. We also saw some interesting butterflies and beetles. The volunteers were all really nice people who knew a lot about nature, although it was a bit humbling that a 10 year old could recognise more bird species than me.
In conclusion, I had a lovely time working with Emily Millhouse and Glendale was an amazing organisation to find, and it’s very impressive how much they do to keep the Lewisham parks and gardens in good shape. This work experience week has definitely convinced me that I want to go into conservation.
Rivers and People 