Today is #WorldRangerDay, a day to recognise the varied work
that rangers are carrying out around the world. Ranger roles can be vastly
different; in some places rangers are risking their lives to protect habitats
or species, or are braving rain-soaked mountains to maintain footpaths enabling
access and preventing erosion, or they could be inspiring the next generation
of wildlife conservationists by taking a family rock-pooling or on a nature walk.
Working as a ranger for the National Trust on the
Northumberland Coast is hugely varied in itself; with three different teams
working on an incredibly wildlife-rich coastline it means no two days are the
same.
The Long Nanny
rangers 2018
Every year a 1km stretch of beach south of Beadnell is
fenced off and a diversionary route around the back of the dune put in for
walkers and beach-goers. It is all in aid of breeding arctic terns, ringed
plovers and most notably the schedule 1 listed little tern. This year six
rangers; Cal, Dom, Jake, James, Rob and Verity were the team on the Long Nanny
shorebird site and for three months they lived and worked amongst the dunes
protecting these beautiful birds. The role is challenging and the rangers have
to protect the birds around the clock against predators, extreme tides and
weather events as well as monitor feeding, disturbance, nest failures and
successes. “It has been great to see and be part of the entire process, and
although it has been hard work it is all worthwhile” says ranger Rob.
 |
| The rangers putting the little tern nests on boxes to protect them from the high tide |
These six rangers have worked phenomenally hard and thanks
to them the Long Nanny sees new, young arctic terns undertaking their first
extraordinary migration flights and young ringed plovers that have fledged
thanks to them providing a safe haven free from disturbance. Unfortunately the
odds were stacked against the little terns this year and despite best efforts
none fledged. These six rangers have protected an important breeding ground for
another season and in the process have inspired people, witnessed amazing
wildlife spectacles and made a huge scientific contribution to the conservation
of the UKs breeding terns.
“Cracking wildlife, top people and an amazing experience.
It’s been grand.” Cal, Long Nanny ranger 2018
The Farne Island
rangers 2018
The Farne Islands lie just off the Northumberland Coast in
the North Sea and they are the place to be if you’re a puffin, photographer,
guillemot, twitcher, razorbill….the list goes on. The islands are busy in the
summer; the cliffs are crammed with breeding birds giving the islands a distinctive
smell, and people arrive by the boat-load to experience this
incredible spectacle of nature. The team making sure
all of this runs smoothly are the fourteen Farne Island rangers. They’re a
dedicated bunch, living on the islands where there is no running water and
where leaving the house means invariably being pooed on by a bird at some
point.
Each year they undertake an incredible amount of monitoring,
meaning the wildlife on the Farnes is some of the most closely watched in the
UK. This year they carried out the five yearly puffin census which
unfortunately has showed a decline in numbers, it is essential that we pick up
on these trends so that mitigation measures can be put in place wherever
possible. Through their rigorous monitoring the Farne islands rangers enable
the best possible protection measures to be undertaken for the islands.
As well as all the data collection the rangers roll up their
sleeves and hand scrub the jetty so that it is free of algae and safe for
visitors, deliver talks on the history of the islands, maintain the walkways,
keep the toilets clean and are always happy to share their wealth of knowledge
with you.
It’s a unique way of life but the rangers love being immersed
in nature, watching the islands develop through the season, experiencing epic
sunsets and have a new found appreciation of tap water and showers. In their
words they feel like a family, albeit a smelly one!
These rangers are out on the frontline of UK wildlife
conservation protecting one of our most famous wildlife hotspots.
The Coast rangers
Jane, Kate and Kevin are the three coastal rangers who work
all year round and support the Farnes and Long Nanny rangers. They also carry
out all of the management work along the coast, whether it is tackling invasive
species, woodland management, putting in new signage or conducting wildlife
surveys to ensure that the work they do is achieving the best results. They
are helped out by an eager army of volunteers who join them every Wednesday for
a practical task; what they have achieved together builds up to be quite
impressive.
In 20 years of working on the coast, ranger Kevin has
witnessed the creation of hay meadows and hedgerows; has led on management of
dune habitat and has seen countless birds fledge from the Long Nanny tern site. He is still filled with a sense of wonder and curiosity for the landscape that
he works in.
If we’re talking passion for the coast, its wildlife and its
people you would be hard pressed to find someone more passionate than ranger
Jane. She has inspired many a volunteer to give what they can to the
conservation of coastal habitats and is happiest when digging around in a rock
pool and showing her finds to enraptured families.
Kate is new to the team and is getting stuck into a lot of
wildlife monitoring work along the coast, from birds to butterflies and bats to
grasses. The Northumberland coast has so much wildlife to offer and Kate has
enjoyed witnessing sand martins fledge from the dune cliffs, a tawny owl
hunting over sunlit meadow at dawn and the heady scent of dune flowers in
summer.
The three of them work together to deliver a whole programme
of varied work and spend each day championing this incredibly special stretch
of the UK coastline.
 |
| Ranger Jane tackling reed mace in Newton pool |
 |
| Rangers Kate and Kevin proud of their sign installation |
All of the Northumberland Coast ranger team stand proudly
with the world’s rangers today in protecting wildlife and wild places on
#WorldRangerDay
