INSIDE International Dormouse Conference an Overview Mapping Hedgerows New National Project Dormouse Bridges Project Results from Wildwood, Kent Winter 2009
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winter 2009 thedormouse monitor the newsletter of the national dormouse monitoring programme people’s trust for endangered species | INSIDE International dormouse conference an overview Mapping hedgerows new national project Dormouse bridges project results from Wildwood, Kent winter 2009 Welcome Contents Dormouse release, Yorkshire 3 New hedgerow mapping project 4 Hazel pollarding update 4 NDMP woodlands 5 Habitat-linkage work 5 With the dormouse fi eldwork season over it’s The 7th International Dormouse Conference 6 time to send in your 2008 dormouse records. Thank Dormouse bridge report, Wildwood, Kent 8 you to everyone involved in the NDMP, all your help PTES intern Alison Looser, Suff olk 9 is very much appreciated. Even if you did not fi nd Monitoring Midger Wood 10 any dormice this year we would still like to know as Devon dormouse BAP work 11 negative results are just as important as positive ones. Training courses and news 12 Last summer was another wet and disappointing one and will certainly have aff ected dormouse numbers. Many of you have reported that dormouse numbers are very low indeed and little breeding had occurred. There was some good news from Cumbria (see back page) where their highest ever dormouse numbers were recorded. People's Trust for Endangered Species With our continually poor 15 Cloisters House summers, it is important 8 Battersea Park Road to remember that habitat London management becomes more SW8 4BG critical than ever. We were hoping that the www.ptes.org new online data entry system Tel: 020 7498 4533 would be ready for last years' [email protected] records but sadly it is not Registered charity number 274206 ready yet; it will be working The National Dormouse Monitoring Programme is funded by PTES and Natural England. for the 2009 data. 2009 is the 21st birthday of The scientifi c work is based at Royal Holloway, University of London. the NDMP. We hope you will celebrate with us. Ideas to get The Dormouse Monitor is compiled by Nida Al Fulaij & Susan Sharafi . you going will be in the next issue. Cover image kindly provided by Hugh Clarke. Printed by NPL Printers on environmentally friendly paper. Best wishes Nida Al Fulaij ([email protected]) & Susan Sharafi ([email protected]) People’s Trust for Endangered Species 2 | the dormouse monitor | winter 2009 winter 2009 Dormouse release, Yorkshire The hazel dormouse is of local volunteers, led by from 10m to 280m. Three of FACTS now back in the Yorkshire Dr Tim Thom, of the YDNP, the furthest were across the Dales National Park (YDNP) carried out the fi rst box railway that runs through 16 reintroductions in 12 counties in 16 years. following last years' check. 58 dormice were the middle of the wood. The successful reintroduction. It found in 19 nestboxes plus record however belongs to A total of 635 dormice have is 100 years since they were a further 32 boxes had a female who was originally been released. last recorded in the Park. empty nests in them. This released near the Falls path Once again it was a joint was an encouraging 26% who travelled 280m to a box In 2007 618 dormice were recorded at the release sites; eff ort by Natural England, occupancy of the total 195 in the north-western corner an average of 13 per visit. PTES, Paignton Zoo, ZSL and boxes placed throughout of the newly coppiced plots the Common Dormouse the woodland. The largest north of the railway line. At all release sites dormice Captive Breeders Group, litter that was found was If the animal travelled in survived their fi rst who, along with the YDNP, of eight young. 21 of the a straight line this would hibernation and reared young. released 35 dormice into 58 animals found were have involved crossing Freeholders' Wood near under 7g. 15 of the animals open ground along the At 3 sites dormice have Aysgarth in June. Staff from caught were from the railway line at its widest moved beyond the release PTES and Paignton Zoo original group released, six point through one or two site. Unfortunately 3 sites no placed the dormice in mesh females and nine males. year coppice to arrive at the longer have dormice. cages attached to hazel The remaining 43 consisted box. It’s encouraging that trees within the wood. The of nine females, 11 males the dormice are travelling dormice were fed by staff and the rest were not old throughout the wood and and volunteers from the enough to be sexed. we wait to hear the results Yorkshire Dales National It is always interesting of the spring check in May Park Authority. After ten to look at the distance to hear how the animals fare The 2008 dormouse days, openings were made the released animals have over winter. release at Asygarth in the mesh to allow the travelled from the cages Falls in the Yorkshire Dales National Park dormice to explore. they were originally released has been a great In September a group into. The distances varied success to date. WHITFIELD BENSON & PTES winter 2009 | the dormouse monitor | 3 winter 2009 New hedgerow mapping project Hedgerows are highly has left dormice in England dormouse areas, the project valued as wildlife habitat, in isolated populations will involve volunteer providing an important food and there has been a recruitment and training, TAKE PART source and acting as vital 64% decline of dormouse hedgerow surveying, To volunteer for our corridors for the successful occurrence in hedgerows delivery of hedgerow hedgerow project and dispersal of woodland scrub since the late 1970s. management advice and help to map the hedgerow species such as dormice. PTES is launching a information, facilitating connections across the Agricultural intensifi cation three-year project to map and contributing funding countryside please contact and loss of traditional the presence and quality for hedgerow replanting Jim Jones at [email protected] or management practices of hedgerows around and developing a scheme call him on 020 7498 4533. have been key drivers known dormouse areas. to reward wildlife-friendly in the massive loss and The project will provide hedgerow management. deterioration of hedgerows the basis of management in Britain. Detailed plans and involve practical knowledge of hedgerow work to restore hedgerows presence and quality is so as to connect isolated lacking in relation to the key dormouse populations and species that depend upon off er new habitat. The work them. will benefi t many other Historically dormice BAP species too such as were frequently found hedgehogs, harvest mice, in hedgerows. Their polecats, bird and insect abundance is, however, species that depend on dependent on sympathetic hedgerows. hedgerow management. In addition to creating a The current fragmented digital map of England’s state of Britain’s hedgerows hedgerows around known WOLTON ROB Hazel pollarding update In the last issue we had an ground level. This method with fencing as opposed Mark ascerts that in his article about pollarding has been very successful to pollarding. Whilst experience pollarded hazel hazel and asked if any of you in reducing the browsing acknowledging that the suff ers a higher mortality had tried it, whether you on the re-growth of the initial cost of fencing can and does not throw out as found it benefi cial or not. hazel, which has grown be expensive he says that many or as vigorous shoots Thank you to everyone who back so eff ectively that the more times a fence can as hazel that has been contacted us, here is what the fi eld layer of fl owering be used the cheaper each cut ‘hard’ to the ground. you said. plants seems to have been one becomes in the long “Pollarding should only be Paul Manchester who detrimentally aff ected. term. His oldest fence has regarded as a short term monitors Little Linford wood Previously when areas been up for 16 years and is solution to what is a long in Bedfordshire, the site of of ash and hazel were protecting its fourth coupe. term problem with deer.” a 1998 dormouse release, coppiced explained that a large area at ground of their wood had been level they clear felled in 1986. This was grew back re-planted in 1988 and a 30 almost year coppice cycle started entirely from 2002, with the hazel ash. being pollarded at about Mark waist height to reduce Rawlins browsing. Paul’s team also from use the felled branches to Cumbria make dead hedges around uses the coppiced area. Oak are traditional left to grow, whilst silver coppicing birch and ash are cut at methods HAMILTON ROBIN 4 | the dormouse monitor | winter 2009 winter 2009 NDMP woodlands Habitat-linkage work The NDMP has proved to but it will probably be a Key hedgerows to be a wonderful tool to simple, single month’s link woodlands at plot trends in the national survey of how closely the a Yorkshire release site. Solid line dormouse population over woodland structure around indicates good time. It also provides an each box matches one of hedge; dashed opportunity for people the six diagrams shown line indicates poor to actively participate in below. This is a very broad hedge. wildlife monitoring. Since habitat survey but over time 2004 PTES have asked for it will hopefully reinforce additional records of other our ideas of the type of mammals that are using woodland structure that the boxes and this year is preferred by dormice. It we would like to refi ne may also help us to achieve this by asking monitors to another of the initial aims of also record the weights the NDMP which was to use of any pygmy shrews and it to provide a focus for local yellow-necked mice using habitat management.