It has been a cold end to the week so I made sure the bird feeders were filled up and the water was changed and bird baths cleaned to give the birds a chance of survival.

Yesterday I was a WWT Welney  doing the hare walk and then the afternoon swan talk and feed.

For the last three weeks the hare walks have been full sith people having to be turned away, so I had another 16 hardy souls willing to brave the snow showers as we headed out on to Lady fen “will we see any hares?” I was asked, Oh yes I said, I was then looking at 16 expressions that seemed to say ‘Oh yes’.

We headed out with the wind behind us and as we walked further out into the fen the shelter we had from the bank of the Bedford new cut so left us  I looked out over the field and sure enough I saw a ‘mound’ setting up my scope I soon focused it on the mound and with a relieved sound in my voice I said, “If you would all like to take a turn to look there is your first hare”, sure enough there was our first Brown hare hungered down against the wind and snow, ears back trying to keep as low as possible.

We soon had to retreat back to the centre as the wind a now sleet started to get really bad, I said we would give it 10 minutes and head out again, which we did, the rain, sleet and snow stopped but the wind was still strong and if anything dries us out from the previous outing, soon the group were rewarded with 7 hare sightings and we all headed back to the warmth of the centre, I was thanked and I headed over to main observatory for my guide in the hide stint before the swan talk and feed, I am always amazed by how far people travel to East Anglia for our wildlife, like the gentleman who had come down for the weekend from Glasgow fo birdwatching, he made the trip to Welney for the Bewick swans.

I did my talk and swan feed at 3:30 then said it there are any questions to come and see me I had a lot of than you’s and a few questions and then as I gentleman walked out he patted me on the shoulder and said ” You were inspiring “.

So now if any asks me why do you volunteer, the answer is above, for promoting our region, our wildlife and the rare time I get comments like the last one.

I shall be back next Saturday for my ‘stint’, my voice may go but my heart will be in as always.