Dormice

Short story from the understory My name is Stephen Carroll and I’m a dormouse-aholic. 16 years ago I encountered dormice at a woodland near Exeter, and I’ve been monitoring the nestbox scheme there ever since. The timing coincided with my mature awakening as a wildlife enthusiast. Also, I live in Devon, a dormousey hotspot, so …

Hi, my name is Holly and I have been volunteering with the Nottinghamshire Dormouse Group as part of the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) National Dormouse Monitoring Programme (NDMP) since February 2019. I am currently studying at University and want to go into conservation when I graduate. For that reason, I began volunteering with …

My job in a nutshell I have often wondered, if I was ever stopped by the police and asked my occupation, and I replied, ‘I’m a dormouse officer’, whether they would see the funny side. I hope they would, because this job is fun, exciting, interesting, challenging, stressful, and very rewarding. But what do I …

Hi, I’m Suzanne! I moved to Kent from Leeds 22 years ago and was keen to get involved with the local wildlife groups as a way of connecting with the county. I contacted Kent Mammal Group to ask if there was any way I could help out and they said I might want to train …

Hi, I’m Michael Walker and I’ve been helping to monitor the dormice at the three reintroduction sites in Nottinghamshire since 2015 when I was on the feeding rota for the new release that year. That was also the first time that I came face to face with a dormouse. Reintroductions generate a lot of interest …

Hazel dormice aren’t picky; they take advantage of whatever food is around Eating is not only essential to life, but what is eaten and when can have a considerable impact on a species: where it’s found, how many offspring a female gives birth to, how much competitive overlap there is with other animals and even …

2020 marks thirty years of the National Dormouse Monitoring Programme (NDMP) which is an incredible achievement. And it’s thanks mainly to our volunteers. Their dormouse data enables us to produce a robust, current state of hazel dormice in Britain. An achievement, because getting a dormouse licence isn’t easy. Dormouse licences explained People usually want a …

From the arboreal to the aquatic Fifteen species of rodent make up about a quarter of the wild terrestrial mammal species in Britain. They’ve filled a wide range of niches, from the arboreal (red squirrels and hazel dormice) to the aquatic (water voles and beavers), and many are familiar urban neighbours. Most conspicuous are red …

There were times this spring when it seemed not much was going on. One day blended into another and lockdown began to feel like a period of torpor or, perhaps even, hibernation. For the greater good, many of us had our movements restricted, and our favourite spots felt quite distant. As one of the fortunate …

Hibernation strategy There are three main strategies that animals use to help them get through the winter months. They migrate and move away from harsh weather; they adapt by growing thicker fur and storing food, or they hibernate. Hibernation is often referred to as a ‘sleep’ but it’s a very special type of sleep. The …

In the fields and forests of Bulgaria, Nedko Nedyalkov and his team have been avidly looking for evidence of Roach’s mouse-tailed dormouse over the past year. This mouse-tailed dormouse is one of the Europe’s rarest mammal species and is only found in the border area of Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece. For forty years there had …

What is the ‘Wildlife Assessment Check’ tool? Whether a development site is in a rural or urban area, it’s vital that wildlife and habitat value are considered to avoid habitat loss, fragmentation and the damaging impact of daily human activity on the land. Development sites can put pressure on the biodiversity of a particular habitat, …