Mammal Update

 A long time has passed since my last post. Life, as so often does, gets in the way. In the intervening 5 months, I have completed my MA in Military History and have been working hard at work to also pass some exams. This does not mean that I have neglected my patch. All through this time I have been visiting weekly and taking records. 

So here then is a little update of the mammals sighted on the site both in person and on camera:

Roe Deer 

The local herd consists of 2-3 does and two bucks. The dominant buck has impressive three-pronged horns whilst the other has simple two prongs. One of the does had two kids, both I believe to be female.

Muntjac

There is still an abundance of Muntjac on the site with several males and females. One female had a single fawn this year.

Badger

Badgers have been seen less often than they used to be and their sett seems less frequent than in the past. I think I single cub was born this year and over the last few weeks some very large individuals have been spotted.

Fox

There are no resident pairs on the site anymore. Several individuals have been seen, Thin tail, Thick brush, Speckles, and Black Tip. No cubs were seen this year.

Otter

Otter have been a highlight of the past 18 months but sadly since a female was seen courting a male they have not been seen since (6 months). It could be that they no longer pass otter cam, but all the frequent sprainting sites are not being used anymore either. 

Mink

A single Black Mink remains on site and is still seen intermittently.

Grey Squirrel

There has been no appreciable change in the number and behaviour of squirrels on site.

Wood Mice

Wood Mice are still abundant at all three camera sites.

Common Shrew

Picked up several times on Otter and Badger Cam

Field Vole

I had hoped my mostela would give more information on the resident field voles but once that was taken over by bees that idea was over. instead, I was lucky enough to spot two juveniles outside the badger sett.