Innovative mammal conservation
It was not long after VWT’s Henry Schofield had undertaken some radio-tracking of Bechstein’s bats in 1997 from a Sussex ‘swarming’ site, that the Dorset Bat Group had some money available to purchase some bats boxes. Henry found that the bats he tracked (males) often roosted high in the trees. Looking back, it’s probably a Read More
3rd April 2018
From the early feasibility stage of our Pine Marten Recovery Project through to the post release monitoring of the pine martens, discussions with local farmers have been continual. Our conversations primarily concern the pine martens, but range widely over topics such as anecdotal observations of wildlife, predator/prey/livestock interactions, land use – both current and historical, Read More
16th March 2018
Although I have been volunteering with the Pine Marten Recovery Project (PMRP) for two years, I am yet to see a pine marten (and not for the lack of hours looking for them!). Radio-tracking is the task I most often help out with for this project and each session tends to follow a similar pattern… Read More
1st March 2018
Polecats are currently faring well in Britain, as the population continues to recover and spread across parts of the country following a severe historical decline driven by predator control. However, can the same be said for polecats in the rest of Europe? The status of the Western or European polecat (as ‘our’ polecat is officially Read More
20th February 2018
My second anniversary of working for the Vincent Wildlife Trust was spent mostly heading north on the M6 en route to the Highlands for the third and final year of pine marten translocations to Wales. It was not dissimilar to my first day with the Trust, which was spent heading south en route to head Read More
20th October 2017
Last year we did ‘a year in the life’ of one of our much-loved translocated martens, ‘Miss Piggy’. She managed to make herself a firm favourite with all of the PMRP staff over the first year as she was so well-behaved and followed the expected patterns of a newly translocated animal – unlike some of Read More
17th July 2017
In early March, we received a phone call from the producers of ‘Big Week on the Farm’ asking the VWT to take part in this year’s show to discuss the pine marten live on RTÉ One! The programme celebrates the start of spring every April, running nightly over the course of a week. There are Read More
26th June 2017
This winter, I was incredibly fortunate to take a three-month sabbatical from the VWT to work in the USA with the Michigan Predator-Prey Project. In early January, I headed across the Atlantic with bags overflowing with winter kit, ready to spend the season in Michigan. The Michigan Predator-Prey Project, led by Mississippi State University and Read More
22nd May 2017
It’s day seven of my quest, I’m on the first transect of the day and I am about to check how much more rain is needed before I can use the word diluvian. The Scottish Highlands is my backdrop, and I’m sniffing poo. I’m told the aroma is akin to that of parma violets. I’ve Read More
26th April 2017
I’m just two-months shy of finishing the first year of my PhD at the University of Exeter with both The Vincent Wildlife Trust (VWT) and Devon Wildlife Trust. My research aims to examine the implications of how practical management and issues surrounding landscape connectivity can influence the conservation of the greater horseshoe bat (GHS – Read More
15th March 2017