Dedication to duty
Wardens at Barossa
The Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area. 8,200 hectares, thirteen Sites of Special Scientific Interest, three counties and eleven local authorities! We help to look after it all, a challenge that requires a large, very dedicated team. A team that doubles in size between March and the end of August, when we are joined by our seasonal wardens.
Beautiful Barossa
With such an extensive patch, we don’t see each other often, so regular get togethers are fun and necessary! Yesterday morning some of us met for a catch-up at Barossa near Camberley. And as the end of August approaches, this was our last such day this season, as we sadly prepare to lose this year’s fantastic seasonal team.
The birds of course don’t know it’s the end of our season and many still have young. This photograph was taken by Surrey Wildlife Trust on the 18th August in 2015, the season I joined the team. I’m still amazed that tiny birds like this Nightjar chick will soon be strong enough to make the perilous journey to Africa! Who knows, this one may have returned three times by now!
Nightjar chick reared in August
Senior Warden Sarah