Rutland Water Nature Reserve
Conservation and industry working in partnership
A Summary of Bird Ringing at Fieldfare Hide 2018 by Chris Hughes
Introduction Due to family illness only 5 ringing sessions were held at the site in 2018 with 309 birds processed. Details are shown below. The most unusual bird caught was a juvenile Barred Warbler, trapped on 31 August. Session reports 20 April 2018 – 38 ringed, 11 retraps – total birds 49 A sunny, warm […]
Cimbex connatus
Cimbex connatus A very large (3 cm body length) sawfly, vaguely resembling a hornet but fatter bodied. Once thought extinct in Britain it was re-discovered in Wiltshire in the 1990’s and has since spread through southern England and up the east coast as far as Yorkshire. We think this record may be only the third […]
Work Experience: A Blog by Edward Harriss
We’ve been lucky to have Ed join us for several work experience placements here at Rutland Water Nature Reserve. Here he writes about his first experience here: My name is Edward Harriss, I am 19, and I am a Level 3 Student of Animal Management from Stamford College. I live in Crowland, just North of […]
New dates have been added for our popular guided walks.
The dates are in and bookings have been opened up for our Friday and Tuesday guided walks for the remainder of the year. These regular walks are always very popular and we recommend booking as soon as possible to guarantee yourself a place. See our events pages for all dates, times, details and booking information.
Recruitment has begun for our next intake of Trainees…
Looking to kick-start your career in conservation? We’re recruiting Volunteer Trainee Reserve Officers
Work Experience: A blog by Eleanor
Eleanor has spent the past week volunteering at Rutland Water Nature Reserve. Here she writes about her experience. I spent a week towards the beginning of April doing work experience here at Rutland Water. I had visited the centre before, four years previously, and so I was really excited to come back and see if […]
Introducing our new Osprey Team Members
We are pleased to introduce 2 new members of the Rutland Osprey Project team. Marie Dipple – Osprey Project Officer Marie has worked on various wildlife monitoring and conservation projects with the RSPB, Severn Rivers Trust, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and Denbighshire Countryside Service. She has worked abroad and in the UK as a research […]
Calling all young nature buffs!
Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust are appealing to all young people 8-16 years old interested in wildlife and nature to sign-up to a summer school with the Rutland Osprey Project this year. The Rutland Osprey Project is offering young people the chance to work with the Rutland Osprey team to learn more about birds and […]
Tales from the Trainees: Winter Update
Trainee Reserve Officers Abi and Cormac update us on what they’ve been getting up to at Rutland Water Nature Reserve. Since our previous blog entries, we have been involved in a lot more work on the reserve, both with the reserve’s Habitat team and the Projects team. As part of the traineeship, we had the […]
Introducing our new Assistant Reserve Officer
Before Christmas, we were joined at Rutland Water Nature Reserve by a new Assistant Reserve Officer – although he may be familiar to some! Matt Taylor introduces himself below. Hi everyone! I think/hope most of you will remember me from when I was a trainee in 2017/2018, but just in case, I’m Matt Taylor and […]
Job Opportunity: Lyndon Visitor Centre Coordinator
VISITOR CENTRE COORDINATOR – Rutland Water nature reserve We are seeking a seasonal Visitor Centre Coordinator for 2019 to coordinate operations at our Lyndon Visitor Centre at Rutland Water nature reserve. This new post will be part of the Rutland Osprey Project team, coordinating operational activities at our Lyndon Visitor Centre and assisting with the running of the Rutland […]
Job Opportunity: Osprey Project Officer
OSPREY PROJECT OFFICER – Rutland Water Nature Reserve We are seeking a seasonal Osprey Project Officer for 2019 to work on the Rutland Osprey Project. After 150 years of extinction in England, ospreys were successfully reintroduced to Rutland Water nature reserve in the 1990s. Today, this local osprey population continues to grow and is helping spread ospreys throughout […]
Tales from the Trainees: Introducing Cormac
A blog from Cormac Adlard, who joins Abi Mustard to complete our Trainee Reserve Officer team for 2018/19! Hi everyone, I’m Cormac and I’m one of the TROs for the next year! Born and raised in a little corner of North East Lincolnshire, not far from the popular Donna Nook Nature Reserve. Growing up on […]
Tales from the Trainees: Abi’s story
A blog by new Trainee Reserve Officer Abi Mustard, an old friend of the nature reserve back to join us in a new role after completing her degree. “The natural world is the greatest source of excitement. The greatest source of visual beauty. It is the greatest source of so much of life that makes […]
Winter Birdwatching Events
Our early 2019 dates for Friday Birdwatching Walks with Terry Mitcham are now arranged and bookable on our events pages. Terry is also running a popular Winter Wildfowl Day around the reservoir on 19th January which is now also available to book. See our events pages for full details.
Wonderful Worms
Every year, The Wildlife Trust works with the RHS to bring you ‘Wild About Gardens’, and this year the theme is ‘Go Wild for Worms’. These wriggly fellows are well known to gardeners all over. At first glance they might not seem particularly special, but they’re essential for our soils and wildlife. There are no […]
A Wild Weekend
Following on from the success of last years’ visit, we were joined once more this weekend by ‘Keeping it Wild’, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trusts’ youth group. They joined our 2 youth groups, Wild Skills (for 13-18 year olds) and Wild Horizons (18-30 year olds) for a weekend of activities here at Rutland Water. The group started […]
30 Days Wild: A blog by Volunteer & Events Coordinator Sarah Proud
Butterflies are looking resplendent for 30 Days Wild
30 Days Wild: A blog by work experience student Gabby
30 Days Wild is nearing a close now, and this week we have had work experience student Gabby with us taking part in all sorts of wild activities on the nature reserve. Below Gabby writes about her week. Work experience week 25th/06/18 – 29th/06/18 I started my work experience on Monday 25th at Lyndon osprey […]
30 Days Wild: A blog by Community Engagement Officer Holly Hucknall
We are nearly at the end of 30 Days Wild now – what kind of wild activities have you been getting up to? Sunday 24th June was the day of our June Wild Skills meeting. Wild Skills is a volunteer group for 13-18 year olds. We meet once a month and complete all sorts of […]
30 Days Wild: A blog by Wild Horizons member Hannah
Today’s 30 Days Wild blog post comes from Wild Horizons member Hannah. How have you been keeping wild this month? Much though a hermit’s life on an island of nesting seabirds sometimes appeals, my career has led me to a city centre apprenticeship in healthcare. As small cogs in a mighty machine, most staff rapidly […]
30 Days Wild: A blog by Osprey Volunteer Sally-Ann
What have you been getting up to for 30 Days Wild? Here volunteer Sally-Ann shares her experience of volunteering on the osprey project at Rutland Water. The magic of ospreys: volunteering at Rutland Water I am a volunteer on the osprey reintroduction project at Rutland Water. I’m one of an army of volunteers dedicated to […]
30 Days Wild: A blog by Osprey Education Officer Ken Davies
We are now well into the swing of 30 Days Wild, and we thought it would be nice to share some of the ‘random acts of wildness’ our staff and volunteers have been undertaking. In today’s blog post, Osprey Education Officer Ken Davies shares a story from a different perspective. ‘Mum, there’s a man up […]
30 Days Wild: Have you signed up yet?
It’s not long now until 30 Days Wild starts and here at the reserve we are really looking forward to it! For those of you not familiar with 30 Days Wild, the idea is to commit to doing something wild every day for the month of June. You can sign up for 30 Days Wild […]