Looking out across the quiet vastness of Chimney Meadows, the trees and fields covered with a light dusting of frost on a January morning, I have to pinch myself that this is work!

When the landscape is still with hardly a breeze to ruffle the reeds beside the Thames, wildlife is easy to see and hear. The short-eared owl, a winter visitor to the county, swoops by silently and ducks into the long grass, a sight that always gives me goose bumps. The rattling call of fieldfares tells me they’re ‘raiding the larder’ — stripping the last hawthorn berries.

I know that The Friends of Chimney Meadows, the keen and dedicated volunteers who come out every week whatever the weather to work on the Wildlife Trust’s largest nature reserve, appreciate this very special landscape too. During the last few months they’ve focused on hedge laying. This is a centuries-old traditional craft, and after working on the hedgerows for the last nine years, the volunteers are experts.

Using billhooks they make deep cuts into the stems of hedgerow trees which are then bent horizontally and woven into a strong fence-like structure. The cuts may seem harsh, but it stimulates growth and rejuvenates the trees to improve the structure and strength of the hedgerow. There’s a 16-kilometre network of hedgerows at Chimney Meadows, and the volunteers help to keep these in tiptop condition. It’s a never-ending task, but one they enjoy!

The bubbling call of the curlew will soon be a welcome sound drifting across the meadows. Water is a very important feature of Chimney Meadows as wading birds, like the curlew, probe soft mud for food.

From April, the volunteers will be mapping water across the reserve. They are looking for the wetter parts of fields, where we have imitated ridge and furrow by creating hollows for wildflowers that favour damp conditions.

Spring and summer are the busiest times at Chimney Meadows. Yellow cowslips and violet tufted vetch make splashes of colour in the hayfields, while meadow brown and common blue butterflies flit among the waving grasses. The volunteers are busy surveying hedgerow birds like yellowhammer and tree sparrows to keep our records up-to-date. It’s a race against time to turn and bale the hay in July and August. Many hands really do make light work as staff and volunteers work the tractor hard to make hay while the sun shines. This provides much needed herb-rich winter fodder for the trust’s cows, sheep and ponies.

As soon as the leaves are falling in October the volunteers get out the heavy gear to repair and install fencing, boardwalks and stiles.

Volunteering with the Wildlife Trust is a great way to learn new skills and gain experience.

The year I spent as a conservation trainee helped me to get on the Developing Green Talent scheme, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. I’ve learned vital conservation skills and gained a lot from my placement, not least working with the Friends of Chimney Meadows. Now I’m looking forward to a new role conserving wildlife in Oxfordshire.

If you have a few hours’ spare time and would like to enjoy the wildlife and wide open spaces of BBOWT reserves, go to the Volunteering Opportunities page at www.bbowt.org.uk or call 01865 775476 ext 221.

We are looking for people with a good level of physical fitness, a long-term commitment, practical aptitude and passion for outdoor work to join the West Oxfordshire Field Team based at Chimney.

This will be heavy work on our Oxfordshire reserves, and volunteers will receive necessary training and protective clothing.

More information from Andy Fairbairn on 01367 870904. To find out more about BBOWT’s reserves, volunteering, events or joining the Trust visit www.bbowt.org.uk or call 01865 775476.