Dormice

Many species that are habitat specialists – organisms that rely on specific environments or food sources – are declining in what is becoming a worrying trend. One such specialist facing this threat is hazel dormice (Muscardinus avellanarius), a species intimately linked with certain woodland habitats. Dormouse populations in Britain have plummeted by a staggering 78% …

Overall 2024 was a warm and unsettled year for the UK. It was the fourth warmest year on record in Britain. Eight months had temperatures above their usual average, with February being the second warmest on record, May the warmest, and December the fifth warmest. Winter and spring were both well above average for mean …

Bridging the knowledge gap Hazel dormice have long been the focus of conservation efforts in Britain. In the 1990s Pat Morris and Paul Bright studied them, laying the foundation for the understanding of their ecology and behaviour. Over the years, the scope of research has expanded, not just through academic studies, but also through the …

Lily is a member of the Nottingham Wildlife Trust Keeping it Wild youth team. Having done a diploma at Brackenhurst, Lily has been accepted at Bangor University to study ecology and conservation. In May, 2024, The Nottingham Dormouse Group invited Lily on one of their sessions and this was her experience. Nestled away in the …

The National Dormouse Monitoring Programme (NDMP) primarily focuses on tracking the population of hazel dormice and gathering essential biometric data on this endangered species to assess the health of Britain’s dormouse population. However, dormouse nest boxes are often utilised by other wildlife. Over the past 20 years, we’ve regularly asked dormouse monitors to record any …

Ellie Scopes recently completed her PhD at the University of Exeter. She investigated how often and when hazel dormice are found in hedgerows and scrubby habitats in the South West. Her results are a useful insight into how dormice use these habitats and how we might improve our surveying and management of these critical areas. …

Setting up the National Dormouse Monitoring Programme The National Dormouse Monitoring programme (NDMP) was set up in 1990. It started with only 13 sites but under the guidance and enthusiasm of Pat Morris and Paul Bright it quickly grew and, within two years, there were 28 sites. In September 1992 the first newsletter, called The Dormouse …

Following the county’s first and only dormouse reintroduction in 2001, this release boosts genetic diversity for this isolated population This week, 10 rare hazel dormice have been reintroduced into a Bedfordshire woodland to bolster the county’s only existing population. The release will create a bigger and more genetically diverse population of hazel dormice in the …

Back to Beds for sleepy dormice This week, in early June, 10 rare hazel dormice have been reintroduced into a Bedfordshire woodland to bolster the county’s only existing population. These animals will help create a bigger and more genetically diverse population of the species in this wood, and is part of our ongoing conservation effort …

This June, we successfully released 38 healthy captive-bred hazel dormouse into a woodland on the Calke Abbey estate in Derbyshire. We reintroduced this new population of dormice in collaboration with Wildwood Trust, London Zoo ZSL and Paignton Zoo. Checking nest boxes for dormice As part of our dormouse reintroductions each year, we work with trained …

A landmark report published today [10th November 2023] by wildlife charity People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) reveals that Britain’s native hazel dormice (Muscardinus avellanarius) population has declined by a staggering 70% since 2000 and have been lost from 20 English counties since the Victorian times. Hazel dormice are charismatic, small, native rodents with soft …

Bushfire at Roach’s mouse-tailed dormouse study site During the early autumn, we contacted our conservation leader, Nedko Nedyalkov who’s based in Bulgaria, to find out how his research on the Roach’s mouse-tailed dormouse has been progressing. Mouse-tailed dormice – or Myomimus (pronounced me-oh-me-mus) – are one of our most endangered dormouse species. Previously found in …