1. Wild beginnings
By Sonja Jones
Without regularly immersing ourselves in the outdoors,
it’s very easy to lose touch with the essence of the natural
world around us and its rhythmic cycles.
When I was a child, playing and exploring outside in all weathers
was at the heart of my daily existence. I used to spend hours
collecting and identifying mini-beasts, making rose petals into
‘perfume’, constructing dens, and using long stems of grass as
‘fishing rods’ in puddles. Imagination and my surroundings had no
bounds.
My fondness for the outdoors was nurtured by my local wildlife
watch group, where we would camp out and tell stories about
swamp monsters around the fire in the nature reserve; go hunting
for fossils along the banks of the Humber, and pond dip for other-
worldly aquatic creatures.
ThePADDLER 11
Findingmy
wildlife
ThePADDLER 10

2. ThePADDLER 13
ThePADDLER 12
As I grew,
the wholesome and fresh lifestyle that the
outdoors brought me became a distant
memory as study and employment took hold.
Nature and all her treasures remained
glistening all around me, yet I was blind to her
due to life’s conventional demands. Unwittingly,
my imagination narrowed and my lungs began
to deflate; my sense of freedom limited by the
invisible force-field that working 9-5 imposed
upon me. I was trapped and became a shadow
of my adventurous childhood self, due to the
focused work ethic I had developed in order to
carve a fruitful life… but what did that mean:
‘“fruitful’? ‘Fruitful’ in the sense of what society
had taught me to strive for: status and
maximum earning potential? Looking back on
this, knowing what I know now, that mind set
was far from rewarding; but why is that and
what has changed?
Two years ago,I was forced to consider my life
choices due to an unexpected event that will
remain with me for the rest of my life.As such,I
pondered what makes me happy in life – quickly
remembering my fascination with nature as a
child,my continued superficial interest in green
issues (I was aware and supportive,but wasn’t
active),and the module in ecology I took during
my undergraduate degree.Nature had put fire in
my belly and so I immediately made plans to
touch base with my wild self again.
OperationWild Child
Step one of‘OperationWild Child’ started by
taking some leave and enrolling on a Rocky
Shore Ecology course.When working in a
soundproof room with no windows,natural light
or fresh air,as I often do as an audiologist,all
seasons merge into one – it could be snowing in
August and I would have no idea.With the
exception of the brief glimmers of life along the
edge of the motorway,I had an artificial life and,
although weekends were free,the working week
drained me of any vigour to explore.
The drive alone to my course restarted my
batteries and I remember thinking,“I had no
idea it’s lambing season,” which is bonkers
considering I live on the edge of ruralWales.As
I drove, the towering slate mountains carpeted
by every shade of green afront a clear blue sky
stirred me. My lungs were beginning to open
and my heart fluttered.
Walking along the coastal cliffs,breathing in
nourishing sea air and taking time to simply
‘notice’ a world that I was disconnected from
immediately transported me back to my roots.
Rather than rushing to our field work
destination,we stopped with child-like curiosity
to crouch and admire everything that inspired us
in our path,from primroses and cowslips,to
small waterfalls and swathes of rafting seabirds.
Photo:Seabirds and kayaks by Lou Luddington
For a few months in late Spring, vast seabird colonies take up residence on British coasts whilst they
carefully raise their chicks.Adults are often seen ‘rafting’ on the sea, grabbing a well earned rest!

3. Surveying each
zone of the rocky shore was like a treasure hunt
of a forgotten microcosm. I suddenly realised
that the tiny rockpool worlds teeming with
inhabitants have always been there in the
background, contributing to the health – if you
think about it – of our overall existence, not
being given a second thought by the majority of
Homo sapiens whilst we busy ourselves with our
‘important’ lives.
This experience was enough to reawaken myWild
Child, and I knew that I was meant to have a life
immersed in and working with nature, not the
complete antithesis that had become my norm.
I immediately set to work on expanding my
horizons by reducing my working hours,
enrolling on a Postgraduate Wildlife
Conservation course and volunteering as much
as possible for my local WildlifeTrust.
Now that Operation Wild Child was well under
way, I thought about the need for exercise, and
so what better way to exercise than to do it
from a kayak?
ThePADDLER 14
(c)AlistairSopp
— MY WILD LIFE —
my
adventure
Erin, Cadgwith Cove, Cornwall
Kayak adventurer Erin Bastian has been all over the world but sees
Cornwall as the holy grail of coastal adventure. From the sea she enjoys
a unique perspective of our precious wildlife and knows we work hard to
protect it for the future.
Wild places bring discovery, joy and adventure.
Discover your wild life with your Wildlife Trust.
mywildlife.org.uk
(c)
a
mywildlife.org.uk
a
TheWild Child Kayaks
Although still a fledgling paddler, in the space of a
year kayaking has become an obsession. It’s not
just the physical and social benefits that attract
me to the sport; it’s the complete immersion
within our natural world – the obvious choice
for an eco-elf you might say.
Due to having a very busy mind,I have always found
it difficult to meditate (to the point of near hissy fit
at a meditation class) but for me,paddling and
synonymously nature have become my instinctive
tools for meditation.When I’m out on the water,my
mind finds itself nowhere but the present moment;
it’s a complete escape from work,electronic devices
and the demands of others.
For me, kayaking is the ultimate form of
mindfulness where, if I am white water kayaking, I
am focused on nothing but my technique and
skill to get me from A to B the right way up
(especially as I am no Jedi) but when it comes to
touring or sea kayaking, I notice every little facet
of nature, from the way the rain beads over the
surface of the water, to the
smell of pine from the
trees surrounding me, to
the cry of the vocal
oystercatchers overhead.
I have found peace and joy in the most
unexpected of places whilst paddling, most
notably when (within minutes) I have been a tiny
dot bobbing on the surface whilst the world
puts on a display of lightening, rainbows, warm
sun, stinging hail, giant rain drops and 50mph
gusts, emphasising the fragility and mortality of
us all.
Thrilling and unexpected
wildlife encounters
are one of the many reasons I kayak
Photo:Rainbow on Great Glen by Erin Bastian
Sonja and her pals kayakedThe Great Glen in just three days in May 2015,
raising over £700 for the vital conservation work of CheshireWildlifeTrust.

4. ThePADDLER 17
ThePADDLER 16
passion for conservation and paddling wherever
possible. As such,I raised vital funds for my local
WildlifeTrust’s Living Seas work by kayakingThe
Great Glen in three days in 2015.I’ll be
embarking onWiSE training in 2016,to spread
the word about reducing wildlife disturbance to
as many paddlers as possible.
Throughout 2016, I will be writing regular
articles for the Paddler ezine about UK marine
and inland waterway ecology, interviewing
specialists in their field and keeping you up to
date on all the seasonal delights you are likely
to encounter on your paddles – and to
hopefully inspire you to get stuck into nature.
Happy paddling!
I believe paddlers are in a very privileged position;
no matter if you’re on a lake,a river or the sea,
you can access parts of the world that only the
lucky few will ever witness.Every time I go
paddling on either inland or marine waters,I
automatically embark on my own personal safari
and no matter the time of year,even in deepest
darkest winter,the UK is brimming with wildlife.
Each trip has taught me more about fantastic
British wildlife than any book ever could. I find
myself seeing something new every time, which
I immediately look up as soon as I get home be
it a seabird, marine mammal, dragonfly, or even
a duck – my particular favourite being Aix
galericulata, the non-native but nonetheless
stunning Mandarin.
One day my coach Chris and I were kayaking
over a small weir and just as Chris, who was
ahead of me, was going over it, an enormous
salmon jumped into the air and nearly flicked
his ear – leaving us both laughing
uncontrollably with sheer disbelief at such a
delightful encounter. In Devon, I was getting
nervous about rock hopping a particular
section, but all my fears were soon put to rest
by the magic of being within metres of a
curious grey seal.
As well as the beauty of our wild world,I have
been exposed to the devastating impact that
years of plastic production,industrialisation,
urbanisation and general human activity has had
upon nature. This has driven me to combine my
What do wildlife
and wild places
mean to you?
Read hundreds of inspiring stories like Sonja's
and share why nature matters to you.
mywildlife.org.uk
There are 47WildlifeTrusts across the UK
working together to protect and restore
Living Seas and Living Landscapes for people
and wildlife.With over 2,000 nature
reserves across the UK that receive more
than seven million visitors a year, you're
never far from starting your own wild life with us. Find out
what yourWildlifeTrust is doing for nature near you and how
you can get involved.
wildlifetrusts.org
Noticingnature
Photo:Mandarin Duck,Warwick Redway
The non-native Mandarin duck established itself in our waterways after escaping from captivity.The
species is originally from China.
Photo:Otter by Amy Lewis
Once a rare sight on rivers and coastlines alike, otters are making a
brilliant comeback to our waterways and are now found in every
county in England!
Photo:Grey Seal by Mike Snelle
Get out on the sea anywhere around our island home and you’ll
likely attract the attention of a curious grey seal.The bigger of our
two native species of seal, grey seals have a longer nose than the
shyer common seal.Always let seals approach you and give any
resting seals (on rocks or beaches) plenty of leeway, especially if
they have pups.