Ecology and a love of the natural world has been a life-long habit for Mervyn. “As a child I was always interested in living things such as insects and flowers. I’m grateful to my Mother who spent a lot of time helping me to discover the wonders of nature.” Mervyn went on to study Biology at University and taught it in Secondary School, passing on his love of the natural environment on to local students over many years. Mervyn has always immersed himself in nature during his spare time too.
“I have always spent a lot of time in the Forest and retirement has allowed me to do this even more.” He said. Mervyn is involved with the Gloucestershire Naturalists Society (GNS) and through this was aware and involved with Foresters’ Forest right from the start.
Mervyn has involved himself in a wide range of Foresters’
Forest projects including Birds, Ponds, Waterways, Reptiles, Veteran Trees, and
the recent Sphagnum Survey. “Birds have
been my major interest,” he said, “Foresters’ Forest has provided the opportunity
for Bird study groups in the Forest to extend and develop what they do. I’ve been able to lead on two in-depth
studies of Dippers and Nightjars (in partnership with another volunteer). This stemmed from many years of having a
license to ring birds. And it has been
fascinating to study these species in such detail!”
This voluntary work studying both Dippers and Nightjars has
led to some important discoveries and achievements. “The Nightjar study is
focussed on whether individual males can be identified by their song. This was previously though to be impossible,
but we are due to publish a scientific paper sharing our findings, confirming
that we can in fact identify individuals in this way.” Mervyn told us. “My work on Dippers has been about breeding success
on streams. It has involved surveying
local populations and improving nesting opportunities. Numbers had dropped, but I’m now delighted to
have seen an increase over the last few years of work on this,” he said.
Mervyn originally got involved in Foresters’ Forest because
of his existing interest in the natural world, but over time his volunteering
has deepened and broadened his interests further. “I really enjoy doing the Waterways survey,”
he said, “but through this I’ve become more and more fascinated by the history
and archaeology of the Forest and how this links to the ecology. My interest in other animals and species has
blossomed. I feel like I am learning and developing my skills all the time!” Mervyn is a solitary creature but has surprised
himself by the joy he has found in meeting other Foresters’ Forest volunteers
and being part of a team. “I’ve met lots
of great fellow volunteers. I have
really enjoyed supporting and sharing knowledge with others” he told us, “and I
have felt privileged to work alongside so many experts in their field and learning
so much from them.”
Some of Mervyn’s favourite volunteering moments have been
through shared experiences with other volunteers. “I remember one day we all looked under a
reptile refuge and saw a baby adder. Group
experiences like this are a great part of Foresters’ Forest because you all
share in each other’s delight!” He said.
“I have also had some great solo moments, such as recapturing a five-year-old
Nightjar that I had ringed, knowing that it had been to Africa and back four
times since then, returning to the same clearing each summer to breed.”