Apologies to all of the blog fans that checked the site yesterday to find no entry, we were a little tied up with a boat of visitors and had to work on a Sunday for the first time in a while!
It's been a very windy week this week on Flat Holm, but that can't be considered too much of a bad thing considering that our wind turbine produces 80% of our electricity on the island. We haven't had much rain however, which is to the surprise of the visitors we have to the island who say they've had more than their fair share.
The main news of the week is that both Vicky and I have found the next step on our journey after Flat Holm, as we have both been accepted to become Trainee Education Rangers working on a farm down in Torquay. Our official final day working on Flat Holm will be the 15th September. It's fair to say that we have very mixed emotions around moving on. We are very excited to be joining what looks like a great project down in Torquay, and also very happy to have some work lined up, but we are also very sad to be leaving Flat Holm. We've really fallen in love with the little island on which we've lived for the past 4 and a half months, and it does feel a little gut wrenching to be leaving it behind. Onwards and upwards though I guess...
While our new job will also be voluntary, it will continue to provide us with the experience and the knowledge we need to finally be able to gain paid employment in the conservation sector. You also never know where these things might lead in the future.
Back to Flat Holm though, and between visitor trips this week work has begun to rid the Victorian Water Catchment of the weeds that have covered it for the last couple of months. While we don't use the water catchment to collect water for ourselves anymore (all of our collection comes from roof top runoff), it is an important exhibit to conserve as it is one of only 2 remaining catchments of it's kind in The British Empire (the other being Gibraltar).
During the week it was also Vicky's Birthday and we celebrated the day with a few ciders while we watched a film in the evening. Unfortunately it was a little too windy to be able to have a bonfire as we would have liked to.
The first member of our little island team moved on this week as Molly left the island in preparation for her new role with the RSPB. Hopefully she will have a great time and enjoy her work over the winter with them.
We also had a visit from a guy who provides helicopter training in the local area. He's now agreed to use the helipad to practice landing with some of his students every now and then.
Another week has also brought another few new birds to the island. This weeks sightings include a pair of Kestrels hunting off the East coast of the island as well as a Ringed Plover who likes to visit the beach near the jetty around the time of high tide. Sightings of Blackcaps and Whitethroats have also been on the increase.
This weeks amusing story comes from our very own capital city of London. Knowing a few guys that have worked for insurance companies over the years I've heard my fair share of ridiculous stories that people report making a claim. "The tree just appeared out of nowhere" was one of my favourites. But if somebody rang a claims centre to report this incident I'm not even sure I could believe them.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-23930675
Have a good week and see you next time!
It's been a very windy week this week on Flat Holm, but that can't be considered too much of a bad thing considering that our wind turbine produces 80% of our electricity on the island. We haven't had much rain however, which is to the surprise of the visitors we have to the island who say they've had more than their fair share.
One of our most recent dramatic sunsets
The main news of the week is that both Vicky and I have found the next step on our journey after Flat Holm, as we have both been accepted to become Trainee Education Rangers working on a farm down in Torquay. Our official final day working on Flat Holm will be the 15th September. It's fair to say that we have very mixed emotions around moving on. We are very excited to be joining what looks like a great project down in Torquay, and also very happy to have some work lined up, but we are also very sad to be leaving Flat Holm. We've really fallen in love with the little island on which we've lived for the past 4 and a half months, and it does feel a little gut wrenching to be leaving it behind. Onwards and upwards though I guess...
While our new job will also be voluntary, it will continue to provide us with the experience and the knowledge we need to finally be able to gain paid employment in the conservation sector. You also never know where these things might lead in the future.
Back to Flat Holm though, and between visitor trips this week work has begun to rid the Victorian Water Catchment of the weeds that have covered it for the last couple of months. While we don't use the water catchment to collect water for ourselves anymore (all of our collection comes from roof top runoff), it is an important exhibit to conserve as it is one of only 2 remaining catchments of it's kind in The British Empire (the other being Gibraltar).
During the week it was also Vicky's Birthday and we celebrated the day with a few ciders while we watched a film in the evening. Unfortunately it was a little too windy to be able to have a bonfire as we would have liked to.
A small section of the Oyster Catchers on the West Beach that I mentioned in last weeks blog
The first member of our little island team moved on this week as Molly left the island in preparation for her new role with the RSPB. Hopefully she will have a great time and enjoy her work over the winter with them.
We also had a visit from a guy who provides helicopter training in the local area. He's now agreed to use the helipad to practice landing with some of his students every now and then.
The helicopter descending as the student and instructor stop off for a cup of tea
Another week has also brought another few new birds to the island. This weeks sightings include a pair of Kestrels hunting off the East coast of the island as well as a Ringed Plover who likes to visit the beach near the jetty around the time of high tide. Sightings of Blackcaps and Whitethroats have also been on the increase.
One of the Kestrels looking for something to eat
This Ringed Plover likes to stop off at the island every day
This weeks amusing story comes from our very own capital city of London. Knowing a few guys that have worked for insurance companies over the years I've heard my fair share of ridiculous stories that people report making a claim. "The tree just appeared out of nowhere" was one of my favourites. But if somebody rang a claims centre to report this incident I'm not even sure I could believe them.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-23930675
Have a good week and see you next time!
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