BNA Brightlingsea Boat Trip

On 25th January we joined the BNA (British Naturalists' Association) for one of their events: a Brightlingsea Creek Boat Trip. The BNA ran two boat-trips on Brightlingsea Creek in Essex, with local bird specialists on board as guides. In between there was a talk in Brightlingsea’s historic Wreck House overlooking the harbour, from former Assistant Harbour Master Brian Percival, covering his experiences and sightings of wildlife in the harbour. The building itself was fascinating, and Brian's records of wildlife were impressively detailed and persistent over a long period of time.

The Wreck House, Brightlingsea, Essex

Natasha and I attended the talk first, and then took the second boat trip onto the creek. It was cold out on the water in January, but there was much birdlife to see and we were in knowledgeable company. BNA Brightlingsea posted their list for the day on facebook, and included: redshank, little grebe(dabchick), avocet, grey plover, ringed plover, green plover ( lapwing), dunlin, black tailed godwit, shellduck, curlew, oystercatcher, marsh harrier, brent goose, grey lag goose, herring gull, black headed gull, turnstone, pigeon, mallard, teal and mute swan. Phew! Quite a list.

Ritchie Jacobs shares his knowledge of Brightlingsea birdlife

A variety of birds were spotted in and over the creek

Nuclear Fallout: 8km Mud Run with obstacles

Fundraising target achieved!

02/11/14 07:10 
Finished the mud run, phew!!! Lots of mud, some very cold water, some tricky obstacles... but lots of fun. Thanks to everyone that's supported, we're up to 65% of our target and some donations still coming in! :D

05/11/14 06:02

I still can't believe the race is over, but I've got a shiny medal to prove it hehe. Thanks to everyone that's sponsored, we've reached our target of £200. All thanks to you guys!

  

As promised, pictures from the event:

8km of muddy running, with plenty of obstacles...

Before the race: clean and smiling!

Tough going on London Clay

A mountain of haybales. Flashbacks of summer!

The Deathslide! Definitely one of the more exciting obstacles.

Mud, mud, everywhere.

Crossing the finish line!

 

Raising for Rangers

I'm taking part in Nuclear Fallout with a fellow Country Park Ranger, Nicola - this is an 8km muddy race with obstacles, in Essex. The race takes place on Sunday 2nd November (not long now!!!), and we are raising money for the Thin Green Line Foundation.

The Born Free Foundation are very kindly helping us to raise money for the Thin Green Line Foundation, the world’s only charity solely dedicated to protecting endangered species and threatened ecosystems by supporting park rangers. The Thin Green Line provides park rangers with equipment and training to assist them in patrolling on the front-line of conservation, and provide financial support to the widows and orphans of park rangers killed in the line of duty. Read more about the Thin Green Line at http://thingreenline.org.au/. We hope you will help to support them with whatever you can spare.

Nuclear Fallout is a wet, cold, muddy race around the Secret Nuclear Bunker Estate. "We’ve 60+ natural & man-made obstacles all on hilly, undulating farmland & heavy Essex Clay," says nuclear-races.co.uk. Obstacles include lakes, cargo nets, and 120 metre monkey bars. Read more at http://www.nuclear-races.co.uk/index.php/events/nuclear-fallout/.

Please help us to support this worthy cause with whatever you can spare. Muddy pictures will go up after the race!

TO DONATE:
Visit www.justgiving.com/Tom-Heenan/ or
text RNGR99 £x(the amount you want to donate) to 70070

World Ranger Day 2014

July 31st was World Ranger Day.

"World Ranger Day commemorates rangers killed or injured in the line of duty, and celebrates the work rangers do to protect the world’s natural and cultural treasures." - International Ranger Federation.

World Ranger Day has taken place each year since 2007, and many around the world take part by organising events to help commemorate, increase awareness, and raise money for The Thin Green Line (a charity "dedicated to protecting endangered species and threatened ecosystems by supporting park rangers").

Lee Valley Regional Park held a Disc Golf Challenge to celebrate World Ranger Day and raise money for The Thin Green Line. As a member of the Countryside Management Association, I attended the event with some of my Thurrock Ranger colleagues. We competed in teams of two around the new frisbee golf course (in Lee Valley Country Park, Hertfordshire), all nine holes (or baskets) of frisbee fun. At the event, Thurrock Rangers presented a cheque for The Thin Green Line, having raised £400 through a "Glowing in the Dark" glow-worm night and other activities.

I found the Disc Golf Challenge challenging, but enjoyable - although finishing with a respectable score, I managed to spend much of my time hunting for the frisbee in the long grass and scrub. This was also a great chance to see more of the Lea Valley, and meet some counterparts from Lee Valley and other parts of the country. Although the Disc Golf venue (near the White Water Centre used in the 2012 Olympics) wasn't too far from where I grew up, I hadn't seen this part of the valley before. This isn't so surprising when one considers that Lee Valley Regional Park is 10,000 acres in size, and 26 mile long!

Although the day was good fun, there was a serious message. There are over 100,000 protected areas across the globe, and many of the Rangers working to protect these areas risk their lives daily. It's estimated that over 1,000 Rangers have been lost over the past decade (IRF). Prince William, HRH Duke of Cambridge, acknowledged the important work of Rangers in a youtube video message for World Ranger Day 2014. Dr Jane Goodall also created a World Ranger Day video message this year to show her respect for the world's Rangers.

To learn more or find our how you can become involved and support park rangers on the front-line please visit:
http://internationalrangers.org/
http://thingreenline.org.au/

Lee Valley's new Disc Golf Course.

A World Ranger Day event, with various Rangers in attendance.

Nine holes of frisbee golf!

Thurrock Rangers present cheque for The Thin Green Line charity.