Birds are not the only creatures present on Alderney’s beaches, and Mel, the Living Seas Coordinator, and Lou, an active contributor to the AWT, invited me to a crab survey, teaching me about the different species present on the island’s very productive shores.

Further inland, from the bird hides overlooking Mannez and Longis ponds, I took part in dragonfly surveys with Matt and Rowie, the Outreach Officer. She also took me along on her butterfly transects in the Alderney Community Woodland, teaching me some identification skills to distinguish Meadow Browns from Gatekeepers or Common Blues from Holly Blues, and shared her enthusiasm about moths during the weekly Moth Mornings at Essex Farm.

Once, we brought the moths that were caught (unharmed) in our overnight Moth Trap to one of the local play groups, showing these rather impressive critters to the toddlers who loved looking at them through magnifying glasses before releasing them into the wild. Another memorable experience, with the Aspire Alderney Youth Group this time, was a tasting session for different kinds of seaweed (aptly named sea lettuce, sea spaghetti, etc.). It might have made some children grimace, but it definitely raised their curiosity about this rarely eaten food, which is abundant all around the island. Wild fennel, rock samphire or sea radish are other delicacies that grow around the island and can easily be foraged to spice up one’s cooking!

While cycling around the island to install detectors or run other errands, I would often make a detour to visit the Conservation Grazing Herd at Longis Nature Reserve. The six Guernsey/Angus Cross steers play an important role in keeping the reserve’s landscape as biodiverse as possible, by grazing on dominant plants that would otherwise overtake more fragile flora and opening microhabitats for other wildlife, among several other benefits. Making sure the herd was doing well and checking the electric fence was a daily duty that I very much enjoyed—it’s something I never thought I’d one day do!

In Longis Common, I also participated in one of the biweekly Conservation Volunteers (CVs) sessions to remove Ragwort, a plant that is officially considered noxious. Lindsay, a long-time AWT staff member and amateur botanist, could identify most – if not all – plants on the island and was always able to answer my questions about the local flora. Other CV sessions included path maintenance, a beach clean, or my favourite: Sour Fig pulling on the scenic South Cliffs. CV sessions are not only the occasion to do a bit of good for the island’s environment, but it is also an occasion to have a good time with other residents, chatting away while working. Having taken part in several volunteering projects over the past few years, I was keen to hear what the Conservation Volunteers thought about their experience and brainstorm ideas to improve it. Abbie, the Team Wilder Officer, whose role is to listen to and empower the community, proposed that we organise a co-production event with volunteers before my departure. The two-hour session, which counted eight volunteers, was a much-needed time for sharing feedback, reflecting upon past sessions, and planning, and it was very well received by our indefatigable volunteers! To me, it highlighted the importance of listening to stakeholders and has been a valuable experience of good practice to replicate.