Back in January, we asked our rangers to sum up their first 3 months as Bird Wise rangers – here is what they had to say:

Julie
The first three months have been a terrific experience, I’ve enjoyed working as part of the team, with Hayley and Mel, and have met such interesting people on our ranger patrols along the North Kent Marshes.
On an average month I have been walking between 120 and 150 miles , we do have a lot of coastline to cover, starting at Gravesend and running eastwards to Whitstable, with a foray onto the Isle of Sheppey .
So far we have been incredibly lucky with the weather. I’ve only experienced two days where the rain never stopped and I was absolutely soaked through. Luckily, I always carry a change of clothes in the boot and a towel, so pretty easy to fix.
The birds themselves have been such brilliant ambassadors to help us to open conversations with people, who may not necessarily have even noticed them on their door step. Stop and use a scope, or a pair of binoculars, and chances are someone walking past will stop to enquire if there is anything exciting out on the marshes. It is great to be able to show them what lives out there on the mud and get them interested in helping the birds rest, feed and put on weight to enable them to return to their breeding grounds at the end of winter.
Logging disturbance in this feeding and resting has not been so uplifting. We still have a long way to go to ensure that all our birds are left alone to feed in peace. However, the message is getting out there. We have had some great feedback from people who myself and Mel have met on our walks. We are now finding that in some areas regular dog walkers and birders, as well as families, who we have previously met are stopping to say hello and catch up with us about what is happening next on the project.
For me the personal high points have been:
• Seeing a pair of short eared owls lazily flying around over Shellness. 
• The view at dawn from Upnor across the Medway. There always seems to be a terrific light at that part of the day on that segment of river.
• Filling in my bird disturbance paperwork whilst sat in ‘my office’ at Hoo. This is the top of the pill box in the middle of the Saxon Shore Way. Paperwork is never fun, but with a view over the Medway with Darnett and Hoo Fort on the horizon it really is lovely. 
• Waiting for the return of the Pintails and waiting and waiting then finally being rewarded by arriving to work one day and finding that they were feeding on the mudflats as if they had always been there.
• Working with Guardians of the Deep to encourage locals to adopt their marshes and coastal areas and value them. Introducing some of the ‘Guardians in Training’ to bird species was a really good use of our time. It really opened their eyes to just what those little specs on the horizon really were and how valiant they were to migrate so far to get here.
Not so high points:
• Having a rather excited dog grab my skirt to pull me over and then nip my finger and draw blood as he tried to pull my mittens off.
• Scrambling over some coastal defences to get out of the way of half a dozen galloping horses on Shorne Marsh who had been spooked by the police firing range starting target practice. In retrospect, the fact that the high points out number the low points is good…

Mel
I began my role as a bird ranger for Bird Wise at the start of October 2018 and I have to say, the time has flown by like a Peregrine Falcon in full dive mode (that would be about 240 mph of course!)
Bird Wise has been such an exciting project to work on for many reasons and I guess I could sum those up in three words: birds, people and landscape. Every day I find myself in awe of the marshes, the beauty of birds and the enjoyment of meeting and talking with a vast array of people – visitors and locals – all there for different reasons.
I think myself and my colleague, Julie, have taken to it like a duck to water. (Apologies, I should have warned the reader: this piece may contain more bird idioms than anyone could reasonably be expected to cope with!) Coming from a career where I was a night owl, I’m now up with the lark working across a total of 27 coastal sites, all of which geographically occupy the three areas of Special Protection (SPA’s) within Medway, Swale and Thames. That’s basically why Bird Wise exists and why we are here – to help protect this important habitat and it’s rare and vulnerable birds including those that migrate and over winter here.
Being relatively new to Kent my previous knowledge of this area was, as I’m sure it might be for many, mainly derived from the words of Dickens’ Great Expectations. Having now walked these sites (usually between 5 and 7 per week) for three or so months, I’ve been amazed by the absolute beauty of the North Kent Marshes, especially as the days begin and end. There is something very special about sunrise and sunset across a marshland rich in bird life. Just the soundscape itself can give you the Goose Bumps! Is it any wonder that these marshes have been used for millennia by so many species of waders, ducks and geese – and lets not forget the stunning raptors, some as scarce as hen’s teeth.
The margins of marshland provide such a veritable small mammal feast for these amazing birds and I’ve been lucky enough to see some real beauties including the Hen Harrier and Short-eared Owls. I remember another Kent ranger telling me that “bird knowledge is cumulative” – and that has definitely been my experience. Spending time out and about, eagle eyed, looking and listening for birds every day – has increased my local knowledge that I can now share with the people I meet. There is always more to learn and that is what makes bird watching so addictive.
It’s generally accepted that if you care about something you will be more likely to look after it and protect it. This is why our interactions with the people that walk these coastal areas are so important. Striking up conversations with complete strangers may not be everybody’s cup of tea but I absolutely love it and have met some amazing local characters, sharing their stories with me of the marshes through the ages.
A regular and significant talking point is how few birds there are now compared to a handful of decades ago…………. It doesn’t really matter who they are, where they are from or why are they are there, it’s not that difficult to find a point of interest or some commonality with someone you’ve never met before – and to be honest, who can’t resist talking about a chattering flock of Brent Geese or a stunning aerial display of Knot or Dunlin. Birds can amaze at every level of knowledge! However, raising awareness about the issues birds have with human induced disturbance is our main aim when we meet the array of coastal users – for some, this is a relatively new and unfamiliar area of conservation concern.
What I’ve found from talking to people is that the majority of bird disturbance is unintentional – and that is where we, as rangers, come into our own. We are there to explain what regular disturbance can do to a bird population and offer guidance as to how people can make small behavioural changes that will help the birds feed and rest in peace. The end result we want in the spring is that they are able to spread their wings and make it back to their breeding grounds, often 1000’s of miles away, in good enough to condition to breed successfully when they get there. It’s also worth remembering that many of the smaller waders (Knot, Dunlin, Turnstones etc.) have little chance of surviving a cold snap here if they are exhausted and/or undernourished ……much like humans really.
Finally, you can’t really spend this entire time outdoors in all weathers and not come across some downs as well as ups! Between me and Julie we have fallen into more boggy ditches than most would in a lifetime, helped distressed owners find lost dogs, reported some unusual fly-tipping, been chased by less than friendly mammals (we won’t say which sort), found ourselves in firing ranges, been surprised by wildfowlers in camouflage, been soaked. …regularly – and had to wash our vehicles as often as ourselves! Such is the life of a ranger but I wouldn’t have it any other way! Other highlights have included getting involved in work with our community partners by helping with tree-planting at a country park, litter picking with Guardians of the Deep and, just about to happen….joining forces with Health Walks where we can help the participants learn about the birds they see as they improve their health with gentle walks. I’ve been as proud as an immensely proud peacock to be able to represent Bird Wise and raise awareness about bird disturbance in the field. We don’t want to count our chickens before they are hatched but hopefully our efforts will eventually make a positive difference. It all began in the Autumn with a feeling of excited anticipation as we waited for the over-wintering ducks, waders and geese to amaze us with their aerial arrival fly by’s and occasional precarious landings. Now we hope in the spring to see them alive and well as they make their long journey back home. Or is home actually the North Kent Marshes? Long Live The Birds