The Lyons Share

Here we have Rosie, Becks and Helen sorting out their saltmarsh plants at Titchwell RSPB after seeing the impressive Dune Tiger Beetle Cicindela maritima there (thanks to Mark Gurney for the photos). But why are they there and what are they doing? Nine years ago I was there carrying out an NVC survey and seeing the same exciting species...

...I started my life as an ecologist working for the RSPB out of their headquarters at the Lodge in Sandy working on a network of over 200 reserves in four countries. It was a great five years and I saw some amazing places and species. The RSPB is currently advertising four Ecologist Trainee posts in Bedfordshire and Scotland. There will be a focus on learning fungi or lesser known groups of plants and invertebrates. This training scheme the RSPB is running now, is not quite how I got into ecology, but it will be working within the same team and I would thoroughly recommend this rare opportunity to train as a conservation ecologist. A far rarer job than a consultancy ecologist with a far greater focus on species identification and habitat management and much less on planning and protected species. You would get about to lots of different nature reserves and see many rare and wonderful creatures under the watchful eye of some very competent ecologists! Here are the vacancy details. The closing date is the 14th January 2013 though, so hurry!