Not only did we mark the winter solstice this week, as the days gradually get a little bit longer, we also marked the start of our new seasonal ranger Naomi to the Bird Wise team.

It’s fantastic to have a full team back out on the north Kent marshes again, so we’ve asked Naomi to introduce herself before she gets to meet you all out on our coast.

“My name is Naomi Smith and I recently joined the Bird Wise north Kent team as a Seasonal Ranger. I live in Whitstable having moved from London in 2014.

I have always been a keen walker and started to explore the Kent coast. One day in later summer, a friend suggested we take a trip to Oare marshes. We got to see Black Tail Godwits still in summer plumage, a very happy Stonechat and a Little Stint, I was hooked! This sparked a new passion for me, so I invested in a pair of binoculars and a couple of bird books. Going for walks and trying to take photos I have learnt more and more about the waders and other birds that inhabit and visit the Kent coast.

In early 2020, having read Carol Donaldson’s book ‘On the Marshes’, I was inspired to walk the Kent coast in stages from Whitstable. I finished the coast in August 2020 my constant companions, no matter where, were always black headed gulls. I fell in love with the bleak beauty of the marshes and the amazing birds and wildlife that I saw along the way.

When on my walks, I had met the Bird Wise team so knew something of their work to educate and inform the public about the problems of bird disturbance. Now I have joined the team I am keen to meet with people who use the coast for walks and recreation. Hopefully, we can all work together to ensure our wading birds have a secure future. I feel lucky to live in such an incredible place with the Brent Geese arriving to our coast in October bringing sheer joy every year.”

From all the team at Bird Wise we want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year!