Hi everyone, we’re Florence and Erin. Over the next seven months we will be joining the wardens and volunteers in their work on the reserves across North Wales. We’re looking forward to getting stuck in and learning as much as we can!

Meet Flo

Hey there! I’m Florence, Flo for short, one of this year’s reserves team interns. As part of my Zoology with Animal Behaviour degree at Bangor University, I’m undertaking my professional placement with the North Wales Wildlife Trust. When I’m not working with the team, I spend my free time playing field hockey, powerlifting, hiking or taking photographs of nature. It’s evident that I love spending time outdoors on and off the job!

Two years in, and my degree has already taught me so much about conservation on a theory level, but this placement will give me the opportunity to experience the practical side of conservation. I’ve only recently started and I’m quickly discovering after spending over three quarters of my week outside the lecture halls, that regardless of your plans to help nature – Welsh weather shows no mercy. We’ve been getting our hands dirty regardless of the sun, wind, and rain and finished days’ work covered in either mud, grass, or referring to my second day on the job, bird poo (thank you to the terns of Cemlyn!)

I’ve already gained so much experience regarding reserve management, including removal of invasive non-native plant species, land clearance, path maintenance, and even had an opportunity to do some dormouse surveying (they’re so cute!) I’m really looking forward to what I’ll learn throughout the remainder of my placement. I’m hoping to improve my ID’ing skills – specifically trees (I’m admittedly lacking in that department), continue to explore the local area and learn about the reserves, meet even more of the hard-working volunteers that form the foundation of the trust and discover more about what path I want to follow after university.

I’ll report back soon, Florence signing out.

Meet Erin

Helo, fy enw i yw Erin! Hello, my name is Erin, and I’m also on the reserves placement this year! Having grown up on the coast near Aberystwyth, my love for nature and being outdoors was shaped early on. In 2023, I graduated with a BSc in Zoology from the University of Bristol, which introduced me to a huge range of fascinating topics relating to our natural world. Whilst I was sure that I wanted to work towards a career that contributed to its protection, deciding on which direction to go was a bit overwhelming. So, a two-year gap year was the only choice…

During this time, I spent some time travelling through Europe, volunteering on small-scale regenerative farms, and a year in New Zealand, witnessing the large-scale conservation efforts going there. Back in the UK, I also volunteered across different conservation projects including increasing tree coverage with Coed Caerdydd, surveying Welsh peatlands to identify restoration sites, and spending a month on the Isle of Handa, contributing to breeding seabird monitoring and visitor engagement.

All of these experiences really solidified my passion for working to contribute to nature restoration and protection, and so this placement offers an exciting step towards developing my skills and knowledge in this field and discovering where my key interests lie. I am really looking forward to learning as much as possible about practical conservation and reserve management - only a month in and we have already had the opportunity to discover the wonderful array of colourful waxcaps at Bryn Ifan, survey for adorable Hazel Dormice in Dolgarrog (we were lucky enough to even find one tucked up in their nest box!) and get stuck in with the removal of invasive non-native plant species across different reserves. It has also been great getting to know the volunteers across the different projects, seeing how communities can contribute to their local area and how different friendships have grown from their involvement. To be given the opportunity to build networks across the North Wales Wildlife Trust, and to learn skills whilst contributing to the many different projects happening in our area is one that I am really grateful for.

Keep a look-out for our next blog to see what we’ve been up to during our placement and hopefully see some of you out there!