Dormouse Project
Dormouse Project
Non Invasive Monitoring Dormouse Project
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In the Spring of 2024 we plan to start a Non Invasive Monitoring project to discover if we have Dormouse in our Part of the Cwmgilla Woodland. There is a likely hood that we have Resident Dormice due to the fact that our wood is a Oak & Hazel coppice woodland. So we must assume that Dormice exist in our Semi Ancient Woodland in Mid-Wales.
As our wood is only small at 1.4 acres this project will only be a small project and we have ordered only 10 Dormouse Nest Tubes which will be places around our old Hazel coppice trees.
Following the advice from the People's Trust for Endangered Species,
on Managing Small Woodlands for Dormice.
Follow link below if like Us you own a small woodland and need advice.
https://ptes.org/campaigns/dormice/hazel-dormouse-conservation/woodland-management/
The Nest Tubes will only be checked at the end of the year In November when any Dormouse would have Now gone to ground to Hibernate in there Natural Ground nests. This way we can check the Nest tubes safely for Evidence of Dormice in our Woodland in a Non Invasive Method. The Dormouse Nest Tubes can also be cleaned and re installed in the following spring.
A link below will take you to the site to enter annual nest tub Survey. .
We currently do not intend to install Permanent Nest boxes as we feel this would be pointless when there is enough Natural Habitat available for Dormice with in Cwmgilla Woods & our small part at Narrows Wood.
We do Not intend to handle or disturb any Dormice at our site so think that this would be the safest and best way we can monitor them at our small wood.
Note: Installing Permanent Nest boxes and Nest box monitoring would Require a Licence and training.
The nest tubes will however provide some summer nesting spot for any resident Dormouse in a Non intrusive way.
They would not be examined for evidence once installed, until the November Survey when the Dormice will have left these summer Nests tubes to Hibernate on the ground in there Natural Winter nests.
We may also in the future Use the Footprint Tunnel Method also on site as a way of monitoring the movement of Dormouse around our woodland as this is also another useful Non intrusive method for collecting Dormouse data.
A link below will take you to the site to report Footprint Tunnel Data.
https://ptes.org/get-involved/surveys/countryside/dormouse-footprint-tunnel-survey/
We also my setup Remote Trail Cameras to monitor the nest tubes in the future if we find that they have been Used at the End of year Survey. This way we can Monitor Nest tubes without any disturbance during the summer for mouse activity.
We will however report any visual sightings of Dormice if we spot any in our trees to the PTES.
A link below will take you to the site to report individual sightings.
https://surveydata.ptes.org/dormouse-database
We have used this method before to film Wood mice on our Oak trees with some Success providing Us with footage of the mice on the tree branches.
Data collected will help us in managing the Coppice woodland for Wildlife so that we can enhance and improve the Habitat we already have in our Woodland. We are already working on many other wildlife habitat improvement's on site like installing new Hedgerows creating corridors for wildlife.
Please return for Updates.
30/06/23
Boxes Painted & Numbered ready for next spring.
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