Living the Life of a Wetland Ranger with Ajay Tegala

Ajay Tegala started volunteering on a nature reserve at 15 years old and never really left. Now the ranger at Wicken Fen, one of the National Trust's most historic reserves, Ajay has spent his career on the front line of British conservation, from seabird colonies on Blakeney Point to reed bed management on the fens. He's also a familiar face from Countryfile and Springwatch, and the author of two books, The Unique Life of a Ranger and, most recently, Wetland Diaries.

In this episode, Chris sits down with Ajay for a wide-ranging chat about childhood ducks and grey herons, the long, unglamorous road into ranger work, and what it actually takes to keep a wetland reserve wet. They cover the return of breeding cranes after 500 years, the tidal surge that upended his first winter on the Norfolk coast, and the challenge of turning a life's work into a book without losing what makes it personal.

Episode Takeaways:

• Volunteer, volunteer, volunteer — The unglamorous but essential path into ranger work: a year of unpaid volunteering on the Norfolk coast, working bar jobs to get by, before a seasonal role finally opened up
• Life on Blakeney Point — Six months living on a remote shingle spit working with seals and seabirds, a kingfisher moment that confirmed he'd found the right path, and a tidal surge that smashed up the reserve just as things were going well
• Managing a wetland for wildlife — The grazing livestock, winter scrub clearance, and the moment each November when a tap is turned and the water and the wigeon, arrive almost overnight
• The return of the cranes — Cranes began nesting at Wicken for the first time in over 500 years, five years in the making before the first chick finally fledged

Episode Timestamps:

• 04:50 - Ajay’s Early Birding
• 09:47 - Breaking Into Ranger Work
• 10:50 - Blakeney Point Breakthrough
• 14:31 - Kingfisher Sign and Storm
• 15:29 - Returning to Wicken Fen
• 17:36 - Changes at the Reserve
• 19:18 - Why Wicken Works
• 20:39 - Accessible Fen Experiences
• 21:12 - Ranger Life Explained
• 22:01 - Habitat Management Basics
• 23:16 - Birds Reedbeds and Cranes
• 26:47 - Water Challenges and Solutions
• 28:32 - Writing Wetland Diaries

Important Links & Resources:

• Follow My Birding Life on Instagram
• Subscribe to My Birding Life on YouTube
• Follow Ajay on Instagram
• Ajay's Website