Ranger Roundup - Week 1

Welcome to our new blog! Each week our Summer Rangers Anj, Finn and Becca will be providing a roundup of all that's happening at the BMR. Read on to find out more about the new rangers and what they have been up to in their first week.

Meet the team!

Hi everyone! I’m Anj (she/her), and I’m thrilled to be stepping into the role of Head Ranger at Berwickshire Marine Reserve over the summer. With a background in marine biology and event organisation — and having followed BMR’s journey for the past few years — it’s an absolute honour to now be part of this incredible team!

Hello everyone! I’m Finn, a student studying marine biology, and one of the Summer Rangers working at the Berwickshire Marine Reserve this summer.

Hi everyone! I’m Becca, and so excited to be joining the Berwickshire Marine Reserve as a Ranger this summer!

What did we get up to?

What a fantastic first full week it’s been! While Anj officially started a couple of weeks ago, this was our first week working out in the field with the BMR team. The amazing volunteers have welcomed us with open arms, and their kindness and energy have us all genuinely excited for the summer ahead.

We kicked off the week with a fun icebreaker session with the new team, followed by a guided walk around the stunning St Abb’s Head NNR led by the wonderful Jordanna. Her in-depth knowledge and passion for the area made it such a memorable start — we were all absolutely buzzing by the end of it! We ended up spending four hours doing the walk (double what we expected oops) but it was so worth it and we are now so much more confident in my seabird identification as we borrowed binoculars to get a close up view and Jordanna was able to point out all the baby chicks that we would’ve definitely missed!

Then came Wednesday — the washout! Our much-anticipated rockpool ramble was rained off, but in true Ranger spirit, we pivoted and used the time to push ahead with planning a whole host of exciting summer events. Sometimes a rainy day turns into a creative one!

Luckily, the sun came back just in time for our Himalayan Balsam Blitz — and what a day it was! With blue skies above us, we got stuck into removing heaps of this invasive plant species. There’s something incredibly satisfying about working together outdoors for a cause that directly supports local biodiversity. It was a fantastic morning, and a great way to connect as a team and meet some of our volunteers.

 After the balsam was well and truly blitzed, we headed back to the Hippodrome to gather all the kit needed and pack the trailer for the first MEC on Tour.

Here’s to a summer of sea, teamwork, and making memories!