09/07/2018 - Permalink

Come dormouse surveying at Poles Coppice Nature Reserve in Shrewsbury

Related topics: Leisure, culture and heritage

People are invited to join Sam Devine-Turner to check dormouse nest boxes at a registered dormouse location, Poles Coppice Nature Reserve in Shrewsbury on Wednesday 25 July 2018 at 10am.

The People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) set up the National Dormouse Monitoring Programme in order to record population trends of the hazel dormouse across the country.

Dormouse

A Hazel Dormouse: photo by Sam Devine-Turner.

Shropshire Dormouse Group (an informal branch of the Shropshire Mammal Group) carry out monthly nestbox checks under license on registered sites across Shropshire, and supply this information to PTES in line with this scheme.

To minimise disturbance to these endangered creatures, only very small numbers of people who are in training for their dormouse handling license can attend the checks on a regular basis, but for this event we are opening one of our checks up to everyone, and so this event is your opportunity to get to see these adorable mammals up close and personal.

Furthermore, you will be taught about the habitat requirements for hazel dormice, survey methods you can carry out without needing a license to confirm presence, how to properly set up and carry out a nestbox check, what data we record about individual dormice, and how we collect that data.

Dormouse

A Hazel Dormouse: photo by Sam Devine-Turner.

Places on this event will be very limited – please contact Penny to book a place here via 07458 087305 or email: penny.wellman@shropshire.gov.uk

The event is on Wednesday 25 July 2018 at 10am. We will meet at the car park at grid reference SJ 39277 04819, nearest postcode SY5 0YL. This is only a small car park, so if it is full you can park at the main car park at grid reference SJ 38554 04192, nearest postcode SY5 0TS and walk across the site to the meeting point.

Poles Coppice Nature Reserve, Shrewsbury, SY5 0TS, tel: 07458 087305