Wiltshire Mammal Group

Winter 2013

Welcome to the second newsletter of the urge you to get recording. If you wish to Mammal Group. We hope you enjoy and indeed, get involved please get in touch to help the recent events that the group has provided. A survey your local patch there are plenty of huge thanks you to all, whether you have helped squares left. As opportunities arise we will organise the events or supported the group by need your help with small mammal surveys attending them! at a variety of sites. Note from the chair The hedgehog project developed by Catherine Hosie will be launched in 2014 As 2013 nears its end, I am amazed by how with support from PTES and Ben Williams the group has developed through the (PhD Student from Reading University) year. Your committee have been very busy I hope to meet more of you at forthcoming since the last newsletter; Catherine Hosie events in 2014; in the meantime have a has been working on the 2014 hedgehog great Christmas! And I look forward to project. Sioned Snowden has been helping seeing lots of Reindeer records for Wiltshire Laura Plenty at the Canal & River Trust, this year! Happy recording! [Gareth Harris]. deploying new dormouse survey tubes. Mark Satinet delivered the tracks & signs Recording and the Mammal Atlas training event at Lower Moor Farm whilst on the same day dormouse survey tubes Mammal recording has continued across were deployed at Longleat Centerparcs the county even as winter draws in around by 20 members of the group and much us; there are several ways that recorders more going on besides! can share their data with us. Around 40 members and friends of the group are Membership and individual involvement using Living Record to submit their records has increased at each event and the to us; since the group began using this number of potential projects expanding! online recording system in 2013 a total of Some of these projects are; the initiation of 673 mammal records have been submitted dormouse nest tube surveys at Nockatt’s in Wiltshire, from 545 different locations! Coppice (Longleat Centerparcs) and small This is a superb recording effort and we mammal trapping surveys with James can see this growing as new recorders Monk. These will all help to fill the gaps in begin using it! knowledge within the county and we will looking for volunteers to help 2014. A number of recorders and partner has also invited organisations are collating records into involvement in a number of projects which spreadsheets before submitting them to us; may also generate opportunities for including Imber Conservation Group, RSPB, regular survey, monitoring and training. Trust and many more - Thank you! 2014 looks set to be a great year for mammal survey and conservation in All of this recording all aids in working Wiltshire but to be sure of this we need towards our goal of sending all 2013 data your help too. We need more people to to the Wiltshire & Swindon Biological get involved in the 10km square surveys as Records Centre by the 31 st January 2014. there has been very little recording So if you have any observations, data or activity, if you already have a square we spreadsheets for us, please don’t delay

sending them in! Please send records directly to [email protected] (or if sending anything by post, please send it care of the WSBRC office).

There has been much discussion recently of our priorities for 2014; the consensus view is that we need to focus upon the delivery of the Wiltshire Mammal Atlas Project. Delivery of this project will comprise a number of strands, all leading to increased recording of mammals in Dormouse tube © Mark Satinet Wiltshire and the publication of the atlas! Currently there are very few records of [Gareth Harris] dormice along the canal network; this is Tracks and signs at Lower Moor most likely due to the lack of surveys rather than an absence of dormice. There is a Farm known population of dormice in Savernake In early November Mark Satinet had a very Forest (Laura is a member of the Wiltshire successful tracks and signs training day. Bat Group and they often find dormice in The day started with a brief presentation the bat boxes in the autumn months!). and then a 2km transect was walked. This Savernake Forest is located approximately proved very successful and a number of 850m north of the canal and has mammals were recorded along the reasonable connectivity to the canal. transect; this included evidence of field The tubes have been installed on the voles, common shrew, otter and badges. towpath side of the canal therefore it will Mink scat was also seen on one of the be very interesting to see what turns. Lakes It may be that the canal fragmented the Dormice Tubes with the Canal & dormouse population and that the habitat remaining to the south of River Trust the canal was not sufficient to sustain a population. Alternatively, it is possible that the habitat remaining to the south is sufficient for a population to survive. There is also the possibility that dormouse are successfully crossing the canal either where branches touch above the canal or © CRT by popping over Bruce Tunnel. In October Laura Plenty from the Canal & In the future, surveys may be undertaken River Trust (CRT) and two volunteers from on the offside (the opposite side of the WSBRC put up dormouse survey tubes canal to the towpath) and potentially a along the Kennet and Avon canal in marking study carried out in conjunction Wiltshire. CRT was originally British with the Wiltshire Mammal Group could to Waterways and formed as a charity in July establish whether dormice are able to 2012. CRT are responsible for the care of cross the canal. If it is established that over 2,000 miles of waterway within they cannot cross the canal, the feasibility England and Wales. of reconnecting the population could be 70 survey tubes where put along the canal considered. just north of Burbage near Marlborough, The tubes will be checked in April and any between Lock 54 Cadley lock and the recordings of dormice will contribute western entrance to Bruce Tunnel. towards the Wiltshire Mammal Atlas. We will keep you updated on our progress. [Laura Plenty]

National Harvest Mouse survey, the across the county and the rest of the UK are comparable. Please also contact Mammal Society Diane White, the National Harvest Mouse Survey Coordinator to let her know which hectad you are surveying for the Wiltshire Atlas - if there are any sites from the previous national surveys, she will give you the details and ask you to go back to these where possible. [Diane White]

All details from Diane White at;

[email protected] rg

Website: Harvest Mouse Roy Rimmer © Mammal Society http://www.mammal.org.uk/harvestmouse The tiny harvest mouse, weighing in at only 5-8g on average, claims the title of _survey Britain’s smallest rodent. Its diminutive North Wraxall Dormouse Project nature is one of the reasons that this animal is rarely seen, leading to questions In the autumn newsletter there was an on its current distribution and status across article written by Kip D’Aucourt on the the UK. North Wraxall dormouse project that was set up in 2007 to survey the woods around The Mammal Society has been funded by North Wraxall to look for signs of dormice. the People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) to carry out a national survey across A dormouse was found during the October the UK. This is done by revisiting sites checks of the boxes, this was the only one surveyed during previous national surveys found this season, and it was a small in the 1970s and 1990s and looking at new dormouse at only 17g. Along with this sites, to improve our current knowledge of dormouse, three wood mice were also the distribution and range of the harvest seen. Thank you very much Kip for this mouse. update. Harvest mice build distinctive woven nests A Weasely encounter in the from grass and similarly structured long vegetation. Late autumn and early winter Cotswold Water Park! is the best time to go and look for these Mammal recording in the Cotswold Water nests, when the vegetation has died back Park continues to produce fantastic data and they become slightly more as well as produce great outcomes! The conspicuous. The survey was rather late Otter monitoring continues to highlight the starting this year but volunteers survey two widespread return of this species across sites in a hectad allocated to them by the this part of the Thames Catchment, whilst Survey Coordinator, at any point during the control of American Mink continues to November or December in 2013, or in 2014. support the recovery of local Water Vole This survey ties in rather nicely with the populations. In between coordinating Wiltshire Mammal Atlas, as those these (and many other) projects, Ben volunteers involved in the county atlas, Welbourn (Cotswold Water Park Trust) also can search within their county hectad for had time to make the following intriguing harvest mouse nests and feed these results observation. directly into the National Harvest Mouse “This morning, driving past the entrance to Survey. If you would like to do this at two the quarry near Cricklade, a weasel sites in your hectad, you will need to follow dashed out from the verge in front of me the survey protocol on The Mammal carrying a bat! Obviously as I was driving, Society's website. This is a simple transect the moment was quite brief, but I had to or patch survey, but ensures the results brake to avoid running it over so I was pretty close. It stopped midway across the Area, a vast area of chalk downland and road before turning around and heading related habitats used as a military training back to the verge from where it came.” area. Recording here is not without its challenges!! This observation was made on the 28th October and came after the torrential Michael Groves, working with Major (ret’d) rain experienced that week. There are a Nigel Lewis and the Owl & Raptor Project number of stone culverts along this road has been collecting large numbers of and we wonder if bats may be pellet samples from a variety of nestboxes occasionally roosting in the stonework. across the Plain in preparation for the owl And if they do, were they flooded out by pellet workshop with Paul Wexler at the heavy rainfall? Something to Wiltshire Collage Lackham on the investigate next spring! [Gareth Harris] 26th January. The pellet analyses will extend our knowledge of small mammal Nut Hunting at Blackmoor Copse populations across the Plain, October marks the thereby making a huge contribution to the start of the nut Wiltshire and National Atlas Projects. season. On the first Iain Perkins and Tilly Gregory meanwhile sunny Sunday of have been collating biological records October; we set from across the western ; this about hunting for has enabled them to share 1,000 mammal signs of Dormice in records with WMG making an exciting Blackmoor Copse. contribution to the atlas projects. These Hazel Nut opened by Dormouse records include some excellent records of © Mark Satinet scarcer species such as Water Vole and We were looking for hazel nuts gnawed in Polecat as well as a range of common a distinctive pattern which indicates it has species. been opened by a Dormouse (see image above). We searched the wood floor in a A huge thank you to the members of Imber shower of acorns but unfortunately the Conservation Group! [Gareth Harris] hazel nut proved to be elusive and those Wiltshire Mammal Group few we did find had been opened by squirrels and birds. We were regularly Hedgehog Project 2014 distracted from nut hunting by the huge array of fungi flourishing in the wood including a blue-green fungus called Green elf cup (Chlorosplenum aeruginascens) which was traditionally used to make Tunbridge ware. However, we persisted and finally found an acorn opened by a wood mouse and two hazel nuts opened by Dormice. Therefore we were able to get a snapshot of different The original hedgehogs first appeared on types of animals feeding on the nuts in the earth some 15 million years ago, surviving wood. All in all it was a lovely and several ice ages and even witnessing the informative day expertly lead by Mark decline of the dinosaurs. The species found Satinet. [Lis Weidt] in Britain is also found across Europe, becoming firmly established here some Imber Conservation Group Support 9000 years ago. The hedgehog design has the Atlas Project!! changed little over the last 15 million years, it was effective and the species was Imber Conservation Group is one of the set to thrive … WMG’s most active conservation partners; its members are busily recording mammals But alarm bells are ringing, hedgehogs across the western Salisbury Plain Training aren’t thriving, the situation is lookin g bleak. Hedgehog numbers in Wiltshire have Heytesbury Wood and Nockatt’s declined by an estimated 40% since 2001; nationally they are reported as declining Coppice Dormouse Surveys by 5% a year – the same rate as tigers and the reasons for this decline are complex.

It is surprising how little is known about one of our most popular mammals that is often associated with gardens. In actual fact hedgehogs need access to large areas to forage for food and can have a range of between 10 and 30 Ha. That’s large number of gardens, many of which have Sleeping Dormouse © Mark Satinet modern fencing, making then inaccessible. On the 9th November the Mammal Group They also need sheltered, undisturbed and Imber Conservation Group (ICG) areas to build nests, in both summer along joined forces to undertake a dormouse with a plentiful food source including survey of Heytesbury Wood, near insects and worms and also in winter for Warminster. This woodland is part of the hibernation. MOD’s training estate associated with Salisbury Plain and comes within the study The Wiltshire Mammal Group needs you to area of ICG who are keen to deliver some help stop the decline of Wiltshire’s bat and dormouse surveys here. With some hedgehogs and in 2014 is launching a significant areas of hazel here we opted to countywide Hedgehog Project to raise undertake a nut hunt begin with a view to awareness. There will be a number of deploying some dormouse survey tubes activities that volunteers can participate later in the winter.

Twenty intrepid members of WMG and ICG participated in the survey in fairly steady drizzle; the survey proved somewhat fruitless – literally as the hazel appears to have barely fruited in 2013, which somewhat curtails surveys reliant upon finding hazel nuts! No evidence of dormice was found but the habitat is certainly suitable for dormouse. And between us we collected further records for the Mammal Atlas Project. We’ll deploy some tubes later in the winter.

Hedgehog © Mark Satinet On the following weekend, another twenty in; from looking out for the first hedgehogs members of WMG reconvened at emerging from hibernation, or using baited Nockatt’s Coppice, part of the Longleat footprint tunnels to encourage mammals Estate within the management of to walk through ink pads leaving an inky Centerparcs. This time we largely skipped footprint record behind, or by recording the idea of a nut hunt and deployed 70 when and where you see hedgehogs. All dormouse survey tubes across the site. of these essential records will be used to Again, the habitat here looks excellent update a Wiltshire distribution map, which and lies in the centre of the large expanse will help identify hedgehog hotspots. of woodland within the Longleat Estate. If you would like to get involved please let Thankfully, on this occasion the weather us know and look out for the Hedgehog was kinder and birdlife abounded, Project talk to launch the project early in including flocks of winter thrushes, Bullfinch the New Year. [Catherine Hosie] and Siskin; further mammal records were generated for the Atlas Project including several brown hare wintering in the woodland and some roe deer, along with habitats and the establishment of new evidence of other small mammals. habitats using the Stewardship schemes.

We’ll keep you all posted on dates for Warminster Civic Centre, Sambourne Road, monitoring in the spring and summer Warminster, BA12 8LB. £3 entry (£1 under (something to look forward to in the winter 18yrs) No need to book just turn up on the gloom!). Thank you to everyone who night. helped with these surveys, including Iain Whiskered, Alcathoe and Brandt's bats: Perkins and Tilly Gregory and everyone from ICG who hosted us at Heytesbury What do we know about their ranges in Wood, and James Monk and Jenny Ross for the UK, how do they partition resources hosting us at Longleat Centerparcs. Fingers and use habitats crossed for some dormice in 2014! [Gareth Talk by Phil brown. Hosted by Wiltshire Harris & Lisa Wade] Wildlife Trust’s Swindon Bat Project. Wednesday 12th February 2014 19:30 Upcoming events Lower Moor Farm, near Oaksey.

Owl Pellet anysis The Alcathoe bat, discovered in the UK in Sunday 26th January 2014 09:30 to the last few years is only known in a few 01:00pm locations across the country. The research involved harp trapping with acoustic lures Wiltshire Mammal Group’s owl pellet in woodlands across the country. training at Wiltshire Collage Lackham. Droppings from any Whiskered, Alcathoe The aim of the workshop is to demonstrate and Brandt's bat we caught were how to identify mammals found in owl collected for DNA analysis to confirm pellets. There will also be a talk on owl and identification. The talk will cover the raptor nest box studies on Salisbury Plain. research undertaken, where each species The training day is free to all mammal were found and differences in habitat type group members (those who have paid the and diet. A number of surveys were annual £10 donation to the WMG). There is undertaken in Wiltshire and made some a £10 charge to all non-mammal group fantastic discoveries! Join us to find out members or just join the WMG on the day. more! There is no need to book this event The money goes to the WMG group to fund just turn up on the night. training days and mammal group projects. Mammal group meeting Hedgehog Project Launch Monday 3rd February at the Wiltshire Wildlife Thursday 20th February at 7.00pm a Talk by Offices, more details to come. Ben Williams PhD Student, Reading Committee contacts University to launch the Wiltshire Mammal Committee chair, Gareth Harris Group 2014 Hedgehog Project. Venue to [email protected] be confirmed. Mammal Society Liaison & Hedgehog The Life and Times of Brown Hare Project, Catherine Hosie 19:30 Monday 10 th March2014 [email protected] Group Secretary, Tim Kaye Talk by Peter Thompson – Biodiversity [email protected] Advisor for Game & Wildlife Conservation WSBRC, Purgle Linham Trust, arranged by the Warminster Group of [email protected] Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. An examination of Country Mammal Recorder, Mark Satinet the history, ecology, distribution and [email protected] population changes that have occurred, Membership Secretary, Lisa Wade the reasons behind the declines and what [email protected] practical steps can be taken to bring back Owl Pellet Project, Paul Wexler hares in areas where they have declined, [email protected] including the management of existing Wiltshire Mammal Atlas Volunteers [email protected]