Monkwod Dormice ... doing well!

2012 seems to have been a bit mixed for dormice around the country but at Monkwood it’s been one of the best years yet!

Things started well with a successful grant from Peoples Trust for Endangered Species to help pay for 65 new dormice nest boxes to follow up a tube survey of the perimeter of the wood in 2010-2011 that found signs of dormice all around the wood.

10 of these boxes were used to replace some existing worn out or squirrel-damaged ones at the north end of Monkwood and the rest enabled us to set up a new run of boxes in an area of younger growth at the south end of the wood. The new boxes went up at the end of March and had only been up for a few weeks before we found a torpid female dormouse during our check in June.

Dormice hibernate fully during the winter but during the summer, and particularly during spring when there is less food around, they can go into a deep sleep known as torpor to save energy and so are often found fast asleep at this time of year. After a couple of minutes in the hand they will start to wake up but sometimes are relaxed enough to go back to sleep again! Instant winner of the ‘Cutest animal in the wood’ award!

Wood mouse

In July we found a few new dormouse nests but no dormice. However, the boxes were home to a total of 10 yellow-neck mice (Apodemus flavicollis) and one woodmouse (Apodemus sylvaticus). Apart from having pretty slummy domestic habits and making a right mess of the nestboxes, yellow-neck mice are widely believed to eat torpid dormice so the dormice often seem abandon the nestboxes in favour of safer natural nest sites at this time of year.

In August we found just one female dormouse in the same box as 2 months earlier but showing little increase in weight and we began to suspect that all the rain was keeping the dormice in at nights and affecting feeding and breeding.

We needn’t have worried though - by September the dormice were back and we found a few more nests  and two males and one female in another of the new southern boxes. All three were a good weight for the time of year and beginning to fatten up for hibernation. Judging from the weight and fur colour, one of the males was a juvenile born earlier in the year and a good sign that some young were being born and finding enough to eat.

Dormouse weigh-in

This was all confirmed last week in our October check. Apart from a few nests we didn’t find any dormice in the southern boxes but found three juveniles in one of the northern boxes. Again these were all at a good weight ready to go into hibernation in the next few weeks.

Many thanks to PTES for funding the new boxes and to all those who have helped with the checks this year. Particular thanks must go to the Trust for the management work during the last few years as the regenerating scrub patches provide excellent dormouse habitat and the population seems to be responding accordingly.

Hopefully 2013 will be even better.

Andy, Worcestershire Dormouse Group

Dormice success!

Just a quick note to say we finally made it out to do the final tube check of the year at Monkwood last Sunday. Brilliant news – we found dormouse nests in little Monkwood and in the main block along the north side of the road. Essentially, we have found evidence of dormice wherever we have looked & I think it's fair to assume that dormice are present across the whole site. Nonetheless I'd still like to 'tube' the rest of the perimeter next year so we know we have surveyed across the whole site.

Liz, Monkwood

PS Sorry, here's the boring bit. Please don't go looking for or disturbing nests yourselves and don't forget that dormice are a protected species and you need a licence to handle them.

Moths at Monkwood

The first visit of last year was in early March. An impressive amount of clearance work and coppicing had been done over the winter and the piles of cut poles produced signs of one of the scarcer moth of the year. 41 Ectoedemia atrifrontella is one of very few Nepticulid moths that mine bark rather than leaves. The larva's tunnels leave a raised pattern on the bark of young oak branches. The moth is Nationally notable. Tony Simpson had recorded the moth at Monkwood in the 1980's so it is good to know it is still there.

The final trapping session of the year was Mike Southall's public event in September. 38 species were recorded from 7 traps. Highlights were 2364 Frosted Orange, a very late 2422 Green Silver Lines and a large number (115 between us!) of 1658 Oak Lutestrings. Monkwood must be the best site for this species in the county by some distance. The event was well attended by
members of the public who were new to moths and enjoyed seeing them close up.

Over 182 species were recorded for Monkwood in 2009. The site continues to offer excellent
habitat for some of our county's scarcer moths. I'll keep you updated as 2010 unfolds!

Oliver, Monkwood