Oh, to be an office dog...

It's such a hard life.  All day they've had to watch the man painting the windows, just in case he decides to break in and steal a pen or something.  It's exhausting!

In this heap are the (nearly year old) pups Hester (bottom, head down), Dido (facing into the heap) and looking out of the shadows Hebe.

British Wildlife Photography Awards 2014 - entries close soon.

Do you take beautiful photographs? Have you been lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time? 

Last call for entries - BWPA entries close: Midnight Saturday 3rd May 2014 for all entries.
Your chance to win a prestigious award, with cash prize of £5,000 and reach millions through national exposure. Help raise awareness about British wildlife and celebrate our natural heritage. Winners and commended entrants have their work showcased in a national touring exhibition and in a stunning book published by AA Publishing. Poul Christensen, Chair of Natural England, said: “The amazing images that have been captured for the British Wildlife Photography Awards are a great showcase of the wildlife wonders that exist in this country. I’d like to congratulate all of the entrants for the exceptionally high quality of their images - extraordinary pictures of our rarest animals sit alongside uniquely beautiful shots of the wildlife on our doorstep".
The overall prize fund worth up to £20,000 includes products from lead sponsors Canon and Sky.
The British Wildlife Photography Awards were established to recognise the talents of photographers practising in Britain, whilst at the same time highlighting the great wealth and diversity of Britain’s natural history. Now in its sixth year, this highly acclaimed and unique wildlife photography competition has captivated millions across the nation with outstanding and beautiful imagery. It is a celebration of British wildlife as well as a showcase for photographers and videographers, both amateur and professional.

Robert Canis - In the Shadow of Giants

CJS is delighted to have been associated with the Awards since their establishment in 2009. This year we are once again sponsoring the Botanic Britain Category, showcasing that the habitat of our wildlife is just as important as the wildlife itself.

2013 Botanic Britain category winning image by Robert Canis - In the Shadow of Giants (Saffrondrop Bonnet, Mycena crocata) King’s Wood, Kent, England 

Robert says, "I spent several days shooting autumnal scenes in a very small area of beechwood and became more and more fascinated by the symbiotic relationship between the tiny fungi and enormous beech trees. This particular day, the conditions were perfect: misty and still."
For more information and to submit your images: http://www.bwpawards.org

And as it's Friday the latest CJS Weekly edition has gone to press,  this week there are 19 pages with 64 adverts for paid posts plus 7 for volunteers.

CJS Professional: April edition

The latest edition of CJS Professional is now online, read it in full here: www.countryside-jobs.com/Professional/current.htm   You may need to refresh your browser.

Jobs advertised in this Month's edition:
Reserves Officer - Lower Aire Valley, Leeds City Council (Employed by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust)
Summer Bat Surveyors and Assistants, Arbtech - surveys across England and Wales
Green Spaces Manager, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority (Enfield, North London)
Landscape and Ground Care Manager, Thornton Park Estate, North Yorkshire
Ornithologist, Echoes Ecology Ltd. (Based in the Central Belt of Scotland, working throughout Scotland)
Conservation Officer, (Save Our Magnificent Meadows) Cotswolds Conservation Board
Community Engagement Officer, (Save Our Magnificent Meadows) Cotswolds Conservation Board
Upland Footpath Worker - Temporary Contract May 2014 to August 2014 Upland Access Ltd (Cairngorms)
Seasonal Assistant Ranger, New Forest National Park
Head of Marketing & Fundraising, Wildwood Trust(Herne Bay, Ken)
Chief Executive, Wild Oxfordshire, Oxfordshire’s Local Nature Partnership
Survey Assistant (Bats) Angela Graham Bat Consultancy Service (based no more than 60  minutes’ drive from BL9)

Other adverts:
Free one week course in Northern Corsica by Operation New World

Top headlines from the past month: Click here to read

Training Calendar for June is 5 pages Click here to read

When will this fog / smog go.

The weather is truly dull, this part of the country seems to have been shrouded in fog for weeks, admittedly it's probably only 5 days but it feels longer and the spring mornings were so lovely and peaceful. We have local talk of a crane (could be stork) but bearing in mind the spotter is in the midst of lambing it could just be an illusion caused by tiredness!

This edition carries the first update on the latest additions to the Citizen Science, Wildlife Surveys and Fieldwork page. This is something we are going to include in the first issue of each month.

Over the years we have published many articles about the varying forms of voluntary surveys in CJS Focuses.  Here are a few more recent ones of interest.

In June 2013 OPAL wrote an article about the value of Citizen Science, read it here.

Nature's Calendar wrote about the value of being involved in a long running citizen science project in February 2013, read this one here. 
A more organised approach can be found in BioBlitz, read more about this scheme here.

Taking part in any of these surveys will give you useful experience and also help to extend the scientific knowledge of a species, so vital for appropriate conservation management. Some of the larger, more organised fieldwork based surveys include training in survey techniques and a few may even pay expenses.

There are hundreds of different surveys taking place across the country, we have details of the main ones plus quite a few of the smaller ones.  See all the surveys and citizen science projects listed here: http://www.countryside-jobs.com/Jobs/Surveys.htm   

With this extra info included the postal copies are now being printed, and emails have been sent. The badger issue has again raised it's head so the news contains a bit about this, 44 adverts for paid posts and another 19 for volunteers.

What happened to spring?

I think we've skipped straight from spring to autumn or even early winter! Cold, wet, hail, snow, gales generally awful, dank, dreary, you get the idea.  I'm informed it's all my fault, I have a week off work and that generally means it's awful weather, particularly if I've planned any gardening - not that I have this time.
Any news for the blog? Was met by a chorus of "Nos". So it's been one of those kinds of weeks, fixed on computer screens, pointedly not looking at the dreich outside the window.
So back to the end of year accounts and sending out this week's Weekly edition, 18 pages this time with 45 adverts for paid posts, 20 for volunteers plus details of conservation work days happening next month.

It's another glorious day

Blue skies, warm sunshine and the biting viciously cold wind has died down.  The woodstove stayed in last night so it was rekindled this morning instead of a relight this afternoon (as has been usual practice for the last couple of weeks) all meaning it's a little warm in the office!  So much so that the windows have been opened to let the gentle spring air in - or least they were until the wind gained in strength again.  We're hoping for more nice weather as the decorator contracted to paint the outside frames and casements of the office windows has said he's planning to start next week or the week after - it had better be warm on the days they have to be open!
We have some good news too, a hedgehog has taken up residence in HB's brother's garden, we think it may be the same one she spotted last autumn.  After several hedgehog free years we're delighted and hope that it may bring a friend or two (or maybe family). The merlin has not made her way up to see us yet but has been back to her favourite perch.
In the office it's been a busy week, TB is away until the middle of next week so her work load has been shared out keeping everyone quiet producing another large CJS Weekly, 22 pages with 52 ads for paid posts and 9 for volunteers and this week also has the Training Directory for May.

Bird song

Living in the middle of the moors, has its benefits sometimes.  On Sunday morning pouring in through the bedroom window was the first call of the returning curlew, now there are several taking up residence around the village and their bubbling cries are heard most mornings.  Then on Sunday afternoon a flock of 30 or so lapwing curled their way in, landing in the field with a flurry of large spoon wings. Monday morning was the creaky gate of the pheasants squaring off and herding the hen birds into the copse. Wednesday brought the 'go-back, go-'back' from the grouse rolling down the hill into the garden.  Every evening the blackbirds serenade the twilight and the song thrush heralds the mornings from the top of the conifer by the gate - which is also providing a suitable perch for the tawny owl, she's kwicking away in the early hours which is not quite so welcome!  Gardens at the top end of the village have an influx of reed buntings; but to beat it all is a report from a few doors away where they have a merlin helping herself to the sparrows nesting in the dense hedge.  She's not made it as far as us yet but we can hope.
When we're grumbling about getting anywhere in the snow or moaning about the nearest supermarket being nine miles away will you remind us about the wonderful bird life?

Despite the avian distractions there is a CJS Weekly in the works to you, 22 pages with 26 adverts for volunteers and 62 for paid posts.

CJS Professional: March edition

The latest edition of CJS Professional is now online, read it in full here: www.countryside-jobs.com/Professional/current.htm   You may need to refresh your browser.

Subscribe to CJS Weekly for a weekly newsletter like this one. Receive details of all vacancies advertised with CJS: Email from £1 per week, Post from £2.05 per week, Online access from 75p per week 
We've increased the coverage for CJS Weekly, we check every county council and metropolitan borough council vacancies list each week, we also have a range of new searches in place to source the widest range of vacancies for our readers. 
Find out more here or click through for theonline shop to subscribe now.

Jobs advertised in this Month's edition:
Countryside Worker. Ashdown Conservators
General Practice / Rural Surveyor, Bell Ingram (Perthshire)
Assistant / Consultant Ornithologists, AMEC (Edinburgh or Newcastle upon Tyne)
Ecologist, AMEC (Northwich)
Assistant Consultant Ecologist, Temporary 6 months, AMEC (Leamington Spa)
Countryside Ranger, Fitzwilliam Wentworth Estate, South Yorkshire
Estate Conservation Officer, National Trust for Scotland (Balmacara Estate)
Seasonal Field Surveyors (Herpetofauna & Mammals), Ecology Solutions (various locations across UK)
Assistant Volunteers Coordinator, Waterway Recovery Group (Chesham, Buckinghamshire)
Consultant Ecologist(s), Just Ecology (HQ: Berkeley, Glos but work is national)
Project Co-ordinator: 18 hrs per week for 2 years, Arran Access Trust - Arran Coastal Way Project (based in Brodick)
Footpath Team Leader: 2 years, Arran Access Trust - Arran Coastal Way Project (based in Brodick)
Footpath Trainees : 2 posts, 1 year, Arran Access Trust - Arran Coastal Way Project (based in Brodick)
Countryside Management Lecturer / Course Manager - Maternity, Kingston Maurward College
Countryside Management Lecturer/s - Permanent part time posts, Kingston Maurward College
Ecologist, Aspect Ecology (Oxford based)
Countryside & Ecology Officer, City of York Council
Seasonal Ecologist (May - Oct 2014) Abbas Ecology Ltd

Recruitment adverts elsewhere with CJS:
Volunteers: 50 adverts for voluntary posts added this month  see all of these online at: http://www.countryside-jobs.com/cjsweekly/Vols.htm
During the past month CJS Weekly has included 223 job adverts, 173 for paid posts.  To see these you have to subscribe, find out how here.
The practical work days and conservation tasks section is beginning to fill up again too, see these here and don't forget to send details of your work days to Amy (online form or to ranger@countryside-jobs.com), a full calendar of the coming month's events is included in the last edition of CJS Weekly each month.
Surveys, Fieldwork and Citizen Science is another busy section, see details here, from next month details will be included in CJS Weekly.
Free advertising is available on all these pages, contact us for more details.

Top headlines from the past month: Click here to read

Training Calendar for May is 6 pages Click here to read
Don't forget to send details of your courses and events for 2014 to Helen (training@countryside-jobs.com) for inclusion in the Directory, basic listing is free.

A little ray of purple

This barrel of  flowering crocuses is just outside the CJS office windows, it gives us a lift to see them so bright in the spring sunshine, almost glowing. 

It's been a little busy here, HB still has the flu ("if you're no better in a week come back and see us" say the doctors, that'll be three weeks) and today TB is moving house so we're a little short handed - hence a very short blog post.  However, there is good news on the horizon for us it's that the building work is finally finished; for postal subscribers it's that we will be able to absorb the latest increase in postage rates so no subscription increase this time around.

Thank crunchie it's Friday, and your CJS Weekly is (almost) done.  Postal copies are now being printed, digital ones are being prepared and emails will be sent soon. It's quite large - 22 pages including lots of news, 64 adverts for paid posts and another 20 for volunteers.

Depleted Team

The CJS Team is somewhat depleted this week, a bout of the lurgy (very nasty) and a sudden house move - not totally unexpected but nine days notice to pack up all your worldly belongings and move to a new location is a bit tight.  It means that it's all hands on deck to make sure your weekly edition is out as usual - which it is, phew. 16 pages this week with 42 new paid posts of which 20 came direct to CJS.   However, the accounts are in a state of disarray along with various other bits of behind the scenes admin and it's good job we don't skype with subscribers and advertisers because my desk on Wednesday had to be seen to be believed, that is always assuming you could find it under my not so small mountain of paperwork! - I think I've filed it all correctly and not let any small black labradoric helpers recycle it.  We'll find out in the fullness of time....

Half term and it's "not busy", well not overmuch anyway...

Did you see the article on the Huffington Post this week about the applicant for a job a a museum who was called lazy by the employer?  She 'got her own' back by tweeting the whole sorry saga. 

It promoted us to add another entry into our occasional blog series, Musings on the Moor.
A how not to guide for recruiters and candidates, click through read our thoughts on it all.
And perhaps to avoid making similar mistakes have a look at our Helpful Hints pages, here.

Other than that it's been pretty not busy (don't mention the q word) here, AW is away spending half term with her littlies whilst HB is bemused, befuddles and bewildered by  the arrival of two small puppies into the household ("I now understand why you take a week off with new puppies" was all she said as she fought back yawns and struggled to get words in order).  Everything else carries on as normal or as normal as it ever gets.

One Weekly edition is now online and postal copies will be ready for dispatch before too long.  It's quite large this week at 21 pages including the Training Calendar for April. There are 59 adverts for paid posts plus 14 for volunteers.

All new

I finally gave in and bought myself a new pair of walking boots.  Same brand, even same style - they fit well and wear well, my last pair have given sterling service for a couple of years as you can see! However, I had literally walked the tread off the soles and one started squeaking in the wet which was, I discovered, a warn through hole letting water into the undersole, but not the boot itself so feet were still dry.

guess which is the new boot....

AW has a new puppy - called Edmund (already lengthened to Edmunduado, although I can talk, Dido has the nick name of Dee-Dee-Di-Di-Doh-Doh), he's a predominately black with a bit of white sheep dog, companion to Bill (he's not sure yet) and friend to the two small W's. HB is currently puppy sitting her brother's miniature Jack Russell puppy (he's teeny-tiny) and on Sunday is collecting their two new Sprolies, that's springer spaniel x collie.  so lots of new dogs around.  My two pups and older Hebe are helping me break in the new boots, which don't look quite so pristine now. 
Not that there has been much 'proper' walking this last week, just one word - weather, which can be summed up as wet, white, windy and wild.  Although this morning Master B got all bouncy and insisted his Mum look out of the window pointing excitedly, "What? What am I looking at?" she asked, "the sun" was his reply. It's such a rare occurrence and for all of five minutes produced a magnificent pink sunrise which rapidly faded back to washed out blues and greys before disappearing not to be seen again.  (and now it's hurling lumps of ice at us, frozen rain - niice)

CJS Weekly has gone to print, not much news for you this week, everyone's preoccupied with floods and storms; however, there are 58 ads for paid posts and 11 for volunteers. Digital editions are being edited and should be emailed / live shortly.

CJS Professional: February edition (including CJS Focus)

The latest edition of CJS Professional is now online, read it in full here: www.countryside-jobs.com/Professional/current.htm   You may need to refresh your browser.

Subscribe to CJS Weekly for a weekly newsletter like this one. Receive details of all vacancies advertised with CJS: Email from £1 per week, Post from £2.05 per week, Online access from 75p per week 
We've increased the coverage for CJS Weekly, we check every county council and metropolitan borough council vacancies list each week, we also have a range of new searches in place to source the widest range of vacancies for our readers.  Since the first edition in January we have published 319 adverts for paid posts, less than half of those appeared online.
Find out more here or click through for theonline shop to subscribe now.

Jobs advertised in this Month's edition:
Arboricultural Consultants - TEP, office in Warrington, Cheshire
Reserves Officer, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, based Stirley Farm, Huddersfield
Seasonal Ecologists and Temporary Licensed Ecologists, RSK, working on sites nationwide
Deputy Head Ranger, Nene Park Trust, Peterborough
Seasonal / Casual Field Ecologists, SLR Consulting, various locations
Outdoor Classroom Officer, Essex Wildlife Trust, based Abbotts Hall Farm nr Colchester
Potteric Carr Programme Manager, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust
Northamptonshire Biodiversity Records Centre Manager, Beds, Cambs & Northants Wildlife Trust
Site Officer and Corehead Community & Education Officer, Borders Forest Trust
Sales / Marketing / Ticket Officer; Boat Crew / Photographer; Boat Crew / general hand, all Sea.fari Adventures (Oban)
Great Fen Ecology and Recording Officer, Beds, Cambs & Northants Wildlife Trust, based Great Fen, Peterborough
Fisheries Management Advisor x 3, Angling Trust, home based working across England
Senior Ecologist, Baker Consultants, office in Cromford, Derbys

CJS Notices
CJS Focus on Volunteering.
30 pages in total, this Focus has several interesting articles including one from Dartmoor National Park Authority, who detail how their volunteer management programme has changed for the better. Do graduates have the practical experience to get the job they want, Groundwork describe one of their graduate volunteer schemes. Would you go out in the driving, freezing rain to help mend paths? A volunteer at Fixing the Fells project with the National Trust tells us why he regularly does. This edition also includes 90 specific volunteer positions most included only in the Focus and many adverts for projects, websites, work days & volunteering offers

Top headlines from the past month: Click here to read

Training Calendar for April is 5 pages Click here to read
Don't forget to send details of your courses and events for 2014 to Helen (training@countryside-jobs.com) for inclusion in the Directory, basic listing is free.

Now published: CJS Focus on Volunteering endorsed by CMA, Natur & SCRA

The first CJS Focus on Volunteering of 2014 runs to 30 pages and includes articles, 90 adverts for specific voluntary positions and lots of adverts for work days and conservation events.

Dartmoor NPA decided to change the way they deal with volunteer requests to better try to full-fill the win-win feeling volunteering should give, Orlando Rutter describes what they now do. Groundwork run graduate volunteer programmes because many graduates in the conservation sector lack the practical skills to secure paid work, they detail how important these programmes are to the sector. Would you want to mend paths in the driving, freezing rain? Barry Capp, a volunteer with Fix the Fells project in the Lake District tells us why he does. MARINElife offer volunteering opportunities on-board ferries, freight ships, cruise liners & recreational boats on many marine routes. Find out how to get involved & hone your cetacean & seabird ID skills. We have précised a report from IVR (with NCVO) about the rise of micro-volunteering, some interesting research showing how important this bite sized type of volunteering is to charities in today's busy world. Read it here