spring 2011 thedormouse monitor the newsletter of the national dormouse monitoring programme people’s trust for endangered species | INSIDE Releasing captive-bred dormice the fi rst ever reintroduction Underpasses for dormice? Edible dormice studies from the continent spring 2011 Welcome Contents Yorkshire dormouse release update 3 Tribute to Jonathan Woods 3 Edge Wood study of dormice 4 A long-term study of edible dormice, Bucks 5 Haslemere hedgerow project 6 Welcome to the spring edition of The Dormouse Warwickshire Dormouse Conservation Group 7 Monitor. We’ve lots of interesting articles for you First dormouse release Hailey Wood, Hertfordshire 1992 8 on recent and long-term research projects - both Shooters are leading on a new hazel dormouse project in Cheshire 10 here and on the continent. Karin Lebl has collected Underpasses for dormice? 12 data from fi ve long-term studies of edible dormice Dormouse activity on the A30 in Cornwall 13 in fi ve diff erent countries and looked at their diff erent Survival rates of hibernating Glis glis 14 rates of mortality and how that was aff ected by An easy way to reduce PIT-tag loss in rodents 15 whether they were breeding or not. We also have Alessio The eff ects of habitat loss and fragmentation on dormice in central Italy 16 Mortelliti’s report on his work assessing what impact The behaviour of dormice in hedgerows with gaps 18 hedgerow connectivity has on dormouse populations in Training courses and news 20 the Italian landscape. Encouragingly we also have news of several projects that are relying on the goodwill and eff orts of numerous People's Trust for Endangered Species 15 Cloisters House volunteers - all keen to help, 8 Battersea Park Road especially where dormice are London concerned. From Yorkshire SW8 4BG to Cheshire, Warwickshire to Surrey, people are turning www.ptes.org out to put up nest boxes, Tel: 020 7498 4533 plant hedgerows, coppice [email protected] woodlands and carry out Registered charity number 274206 box checks throughout the The National Dormouse Monitoring Programme is funded by PTES and Natural England. year. We hope you enjoy this The scientifi c work is based at Royal Holloway, University of London. edition of the monitor - don’t forget to look on the The Dormouse Monitor is compiled by Nida Al Fulaij & Susan Sharafi . back page for details of training courses and other Cover image kindly provided by John Webley. Printed by 4 Print on environmentally friendly paper. news - especially this year’s International Dormouse The opinions expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the People’s Trust for Conference in Saxony. Endangered Species. Best regards Nida Al Fulaij & Susan Sharafi 2 the dormouse monitor spring 2011 Yorkshire dormouse release update It’s now six years since 62 dormouse population in the same box that had been radiating out from the dormice were reintroduced woods is doing okay and used by a large female woods in 2011. into woodland near West that they are using natural dormouse in June so we Other mammal records Tanfi eld and an extremely nest sites as well as the hope the dead juvenile’s from the woods at West dedicated group of boxes. Some of the original siblings survived and were Tanfi eld in 2010 include volunteers has been boxes became a bit old, elsewhere in the woods. roe deer, brown hare, wood monitoring the progress damp and squirrel-nibbled, Two of the October dormice mouse, common shrew and of the project. Almost 400 so PTES kindly provided were torpid, which was not pygmy shrew. The strangest dormouse boxes are checked some new ones. unexpected as the previous object we found in a box was three times each year In 2010 we found a total night had been very cold. a large, old bone (possibly and, although dormouse of nine dormice in the nest In addition to the dormice mammalian). We have no numbers declined over the boxes. Three dormice were themselves, we recorded 15 idea how or why the bone fi rst couple of years, they found in June, two of which dormouse nests in the boxes ended up there as it was too then seemed to stabilise, were fat, healthy females – in June, 12 in August and 23 large to have been carried up albeit at a fairly low level. hopefully ready to breed. In in October - further evidence by a small mammal. Strange During 2007 we found August we found two young of a population out in the things happen down in the eight dormice in the boxes, dormice at two diff erent woods. woods… seven in 2008 and nine in locations in the woods, The dormouse tubes which All that remains is to thank 2009. Although this may so possibly evidence of a were placed in the hedges everyone who helped with seem low, all the dormice couple of successful litters, to the west of Heslett Wood the dormouse monitoring, have been in good health but neither of them from in spring 2009 were also especially the dedicated and we know that breeding anywhere near where the checked in October, but had volunteers who turn out for has occurred, as the odd females had been found in no evidence of dormouse every box check, whatever litter of young dormice has June. Finally, in the October activity. However, two of the weather. If you’d like to been recorded. In addition box check we found one the tubes were being used help please call fairly good numbers of large female dormouse, by roosting small birds, 0113 2811286 or email distinctive dormouse nests two well-grown youngsters judging by the piles of bird [email protected]. have been found in the and, unfortunately, a dead droppings we found. We are boxes each summer. This juvenile in a nest. The dead hoping to put some more Ann Hanson leads us to hope that the juvenile was found in the tubes along other hedges FWAG Tribute to Jonathan Woods and colleagues, took over the management of the Michael Woods’ son, business from Michael. Jonathan, died tragically in a Since that point the business climbing accident this March. has gone from strength to strength, in no small part Since an early age Jonathan due to the enthusiasm and was a committed naturalist energy that Jonathan was and passionate about the able to add, not to mention conservation of wildlife, in his technical expertise in all particular British mammals. things mammal! Growing up with both Mike Jonathan tragically and Doug Woods around it died whilst climbing in was almost impossible for Pembrokeshire. Climbing him to not become heavily was another great passion involved with dormice and of his and something that, dormouse conservation, just like his profession, though Jonathan also found he approached with the time to become highly great positivity, immense knowledgeable about enthusiasm, and badgers and a licensed bat considerable skill. He will be surveyor and handler. sorely missed by everyone He developed that passion who had the fortune to into his profession when he know him. joined his father at Michael Woods Associates. In 2009 Tom Clarkson Jonathan,ANDREW HALCRO-JOHNSTON assisted by friends Michael Woods Associates the dormouse monitor 3 spring 2011 Edge Wood study of dormice Edge Wood, in Shropshire, The wood has 11 coppice Dormouse in nest is part of Wolverton Wood coupes throughout it and tube in coupe 1 (5-6 year old coppice) on and Alcaston SSSI. This in early June 2010 we 30 October. 10ha wood is managed as hung 97 nest tubes up coppice with standards. We in seven of the coupes. decided to put nest tubes The tubes were placed up in the newly coppiced under branches which had coupes to see how quickly good aerial connectivity the dormice would begin to adjacent saplings and to use these areas and shrubs. They were mainly therefore help guide the hazel but we also put tubes overall management of up on holly, ash, willow, the wood. Currently the honeysuckle, bramble, small coupes within the wych elm and oak. The wood are coppiced every four coupes that weren’t eight years which provides surveyed had either been material for green wood coppiced too recently to including maple, oak, ash, fairly low occupancy rate: and coppice products. There have any shrub to attach the holly, silver birch, bramble only two nests were found are also some parts of the nest tubes to, were due for and hazel. In contrast the in 15 tubes. Unsurprisingly wood which are neglected coppice the next winter or two coupes that hadn’t been in coupe 9 (which had not hazel coppice and beech had very little shrub under a managed for some time been managed recently but plantation which will beech dominated canopy. (coupes 6b and 7) had a had a signifi cant amount of gradually be bought under Two coupes of fi ve and six dense canopy, with over- woodland edge habitat) we management in the future year old coppice (coupes 1 shadowed shrubs producing found slightly more nests too. and 2) both contained dense little fruit. than in the more overgrown Our main aim was to undergrowth consisting of Our results showed that sections of the wood. fi nd out if, and how soon, coppice shoots, saplings and 23 tubes out of the 97 Edge Wood is an important dormice would begin to bramble, with an abundant were used – an almost 25% site for dormice and the use patches of wood that food supply of blackberries, occupancy rate. In July, we population appears to be had been coppiced.