289 types of wildlife: how do you measure 50 years of Leicestershire Country Parks?
Dale, senior ranger for Watermead Country Park, is our longest-serving ranger. He’s worked in our Leicestershire Country Parks for 35 years! As we celebrate 50 years of ‘Leicestershire Country Parks’, Dale has reflected on his time as a ranger – including what’s changed and what has stayed the same.
In the 80’s, I was doing a lot of travelling around Europe and North Africa. When I came back to Leicestershire, I wanted a job for a year so I could save up money. A friend of mine saw a job advertised working in a country park so I went for it. At the time, it was a year contract for a project at Watermead. I set up a lot of things in that time never thinking I’d come back – like suggesting the parks have visitor centres and designing Watermead’s reedbed nature reserve.
I was showing my dad around the park in 1990 and bumped into the senior ranger at the time. He basically asked if I fancied a job! I was part-time in 1990 and by around 2006 I was the senior ranger covering Watermead and Burrough Hill country park – now I’m going into my 35th year.
My passion has always been for wildlife and I’ve pushed that through our work here. Obviously through 30 years I’ve also learnt so much. Watermead is renowned for its natural history, but it’s also important we make sure the park has a lot of amenities for people, and these two elements work together perfectly well – the reedbed reserve being the best example.
It’s not just about creating a habitat – like a reedbed, woodland, flower meadows, or even a series ditches – it’s about getting the animals in to use it. It’s a testament to us that we have so many species. I’ve kept records of our wildlife since I started. Last time I checked, Watermead was home to:
- 208 species of birds
- 24 types of dragonflies and damselflies
- 25 types of butterflies
- 32 species of mammals
You can see just how much work has gone on at this site considering it was originally home to quarry pits and landfill, known to locals as ‘the pit’.
In the last 15 years we have introduced ‘wilding’ where we let nature take its course. Just one example on how this works is the fact we now have grasshopper warblers (a type of bird). They disappeared from the park for about 10/15 years. In the last six years they have come back, and they sing like a grasshopper!
Working with our volunteers is a highlight. They are such a brilliant and dedicated group of people. Dealing with the public and having regulars who really appreciate what we do also makes the world of difference.
The biggest milestone – probably of my career – was when we had Ugandan rangers come and visit us. When I met their retired head ranger we were best friends within 30 seconds as we bonded over our love of conservation and wildlife! I’ve also been over to their nature reserve twice now.
Over the years, we’ve seen a big improvement in anti-social behaviour with our gates and entrance systems. The way we manage sites has also changed. When I first started, I’d say the sites were managed like farms, now they are run like nature reserves. Although, we still make sure it’s a ‘people’s park’.
Technology was not the same when I started – we didn’t have the computers and phones like we do nowadays. Some of our equipment, like a chainsaw, has obviously improved over the years, such as being lighter and easier to start, but we do the same job with them. Health and safety is a big focus now as well.
As we celebrate 50 years of country parks, my big wish is for locals and visitors to get in touch with nature and come visit one of our parks.
Dale Osborne, Senior Ranger
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