Léa 
I am Léa from France and I spend nine months at the Montseny bird station. It was a great experience for me, the main thing is that I learned so much information about birds; the species, their behaviour, their ecology and more. I also acquire other skills like doing census on the field, managing a project, doing citizen science projects, communicating through social media, etc. We participated in many projects, my favourite one was the two week of bird ringing during migration, one week was spent in the Delta de l’Ebre in September, and the other one was in Aiguamolls de l’Empordà during April. I really like the fact that every day on the field was different by catching and ringing different birds’species. During this volunteering, I also loved living and working with people from different countries. It was such a rewarding experience meeting and learning from them and their culture and making new friends with whom I shared a unique adventure. These months have given me the experience that has enabled me to find a job in my field of ornithology and biodiversity protection. I recommend it for anyone looking for a birding experience while discovering a new culture with people from different countries.


 Sina 
My name is Sina Welzel, and I had a great time volunteering in Fontmartina, and I am very thankful for the experience. I was very lucky with the other volunteers I shared my time with. They were amazing, and we got along so well, and I am so happy to have met them. Carles taught me a lot about birds, he is a very patient teacher who is never tired of answering questions. I spent around 5 months in Fontmartina, from March to August, and with the seasons the projects and workload varied. Many projects involve hiking through Montseny’s peaks, so I’ve got to see different areas of the Park. My personal favourite was to learn more in-depth about the identification of birds, especially birds of prey, and the ageing of passerines. I have also learned a lot through living together with people from different countries that I hadn't met before. Fontmartina is in the middle of the Park, so it is quite isolated, bigger cities or nice beaches are about an hour away by car. That can be a bit challenging in the beginning, but I got used to it and I appreciated the silent and peaceful environment around the house so much.




Nico
Bonjour ! My name is Nicolas, I am from Belgium and when I started volunteering in Fontmartina I didn’t know shit about birds. In the first place, I fell in love with Montseny for its forest, summits and the view from my window. Then, thanks to our coordinator numerous teachings, I started to really appreciate birds for their variety and complexity. Watching them with a brand-new eye, paying attention to their presence. We carried out multiple fields projects that led us to explore not only the mountain but also many places in Catalonia. It connected me to the Catalan culture which often involves playing with fire, dancing with giants or eating the delicious “Pa amb tomàquet”. Birds was not just a pretext to travel but it became a true passion. Being able to monitor birds and identify them gave me a better understanding of how human activities influence their environment and highlighted many interconnections. For example, the swallows or house martins are quite dependent on our houses to nest. Deforestation and cutting down old trees lead to fewer breeding spots for many tits, enhancing the need for nest boxes. Amongst many other, climate change has an impact on the insects boom and therefore food available for the chicks in spring. But it also reduces open areas on mountain’s tops, which are habitats favored by wheatear for example.  In the end, it was a truly life changing experience during which I grew up as a person and as a bird lover.

Peter
As a freshly graduated biologist, I found this volunteering in the Montseny Natural Park with the ICO to be a great opportunity to learn more practical skills and broaden my network. In this one year, I learned to work in various habitats from dense cork and holly oak forests to open subalpine areas. And with various species of birds and methodologies. Like nocturnal survey of tawny owls, monitoring of dotterels and Alpine accentors groups, nestbox monitoring and measuring of various tit species. I also gained a lot of experience in bird ringing and handling, and thanks to that I passed the Catalan assistant ringer exam. Besides all of these, I could participate in other projects of ICO, Granollers Museum, WildCom from UAB, and GACO. All in all, I am happy for this one year in Montseny and Catalunya and for everyone I met.