Pop goes the weasel

Chris Durdin, NWT Volunteer at Thorpe Marshes

Sometimes watching nature you need a bit of luck. The party on a winter guided walk at Thorpe Marshes was on the path by the River Yare when an alert group member noticed a mammal balanced at the very top of the dead stalks of greater willowherb. It was a weasel, but what was it doing there? Another movement caught our eyes –a mouse, also high in the wintry vegetation. We watched for only a minute or two but it seemed longer, time running slowly as the cat-and-mouse – well, weasel-and-mouse – game continued. Then the mouse dropped into the base of the vegetation and the weasel followed, and both disappeared from view. We presume it was an unhappy outcome for the mouse, but we don’t know.

Harvest mouse and weasel (photo by Derek Longe)

In the meantime, Derek Longe was taking photographs, and the picture captures the moment. Remarkably, as well as helping us to confirm that it was a weasel and not a stoat, by zooming in we discovered that it was stalking a harvest mouse. Two mammal species confirmed in the click of a shutter.

Bridge still shut: a reminder that the usual pedestrian entrance into the reserve over the railway bridge in Whitlingham Lane is shut for major repairs until the end of March. The way in on foot is along a muddy path from Bungalow Lane, farther east along Yarmouth Road, and that’s also true for guided walks.

Chris Durdin leads monthly wildlife walks at NWT Thorpe Marshes. Details of these and recent sightings on the reserve are on www.honeyguide.co.uk/thorpemarshes.htm. The website also has the 14-page NWT Thorpe Marshes Wildlife Report for 2015.

Getting my vote this year…

Gemma Walker, Wildlife and Community Officer
 
I am often asked what my favourite animal is. I usually respond by saying there are too many fantastic creatures living in Norfolk to choose from, not wanting to show favouritism to any particular species.

But, recently the Urban Birder, David Lindo, really got me thinking when I took part in a survey he had launched to vote for Britain’s national bird. As I scrolled through the ten nominees I was torn as to which bird to pick. Should I choose the robin, that chirpy bird that often keeps me company whilst I am digging in the garden? How about the wren? For a little bird they have such a strong, vibrant song. Or the kingfisher, always a treat to see when I am out walking next to a river, broad or dyke. No, there could only be one bird for me, only one bird that would get my vote: the barn owl.

Barn owl, photo by Nick Appleton

Often as I travel home from work I am lucky enough to catch a glimpse of this remarkable, ghost-like bird as it quarters a field looking for a small mammal or two. A favourite past time of mine as I drive back home in the dark is to spot a barn owl on top of a road sign; it’s amazing how many barn owls seem to make use of these artificial perches. No matter how many times I see this beautiful, elegant, white and brown bird it always brings a smile to my face and I realise how lucky I am to live in a county that seems to have such a good population.

Brown hare, photo by Mark Ollett

With my vote cast for my favourite bird, I felt inspired to pick my favourite mammal. People who know me would probably guess that I would vote for the grey seal as I spend many winter hours wardening a colony, but actually they would be wrong. There has been one mammal that has captured my imagination and admiration for many years. In particular I love the folklore that surrounds this magical, mystical creature. In times gone by it was thought that witches had the power to turn in to this animal to escape their enemies, and it was regarded as an animal sacred to Aphrodite and Eros, with people giving this creature as a gift of love. But, it is probably best known for its apparent mad behaviour in March, when it can be seen leaping and bounding in arable fields across Norfolk. Brown hares would definitely get my vote.
 

Common frog, photo by Brian Beckett

If I am allowed to be greedy I would like to cast my vote for one more species, and label them along with the barn owl and brown hare as my favourite Norfolk animals. At Norfolk Wildlife Trust I often get phone calls from people concerned about this animal, it is not only my heart it has captured. You may also know of people in villages across Norfolk that volunteer their time to help hundreds of these animals cross the road to their breeding ponds. The common frog would secure my final vote. To me it is an indicator of spring, when they appear in my pond in March. It always feels like you are welcoming back an old friend and to watch the development of frogspawn to tadpole to froglet is simply amazing. A natural wonder that every child should have a chance to experience.

If you were asked what do barn owls, brown hares and common frogs have in common, what would you say? Apart from being my favourite animals in Norfolk and getting my vote they are also animals that rely on a network of wildlife corridors or wildlife stepping stones which will allow them to travel safely to breeding sites, find food and shelter.

Common frogs may breed in your pond but they probably hibernate in a totally different area, and in the summer will move away from the pond to find food and shelter. So common frogs  need a safe corridor or set of stepping stones which will allow them to travel without risk of predation or being killed by cars. We sometimes get phone calls at Norfolk Wildlife Trust from people concerned that their frogs have not returned to their garden pond, one of the reasons for this may be that one of their wildlife corridors has been blocked (by a new road or a fence) or destroyed (through the building of a housing development), and so the route to a garden they usually breed in may have been lost.

Barn owls and brown hares also depend on a set of corridors and stepping stones to travel safely from one place to another and unfortunately seeing a dead hare or owl on a road is not an unusual sight. If you are lucky enough to see a barn owl you may see it flying  backwards and forwards quartering an area looking for food. Grass verges, wide field margins and hedgerows are very important wildlife corridors for barn owls as they provide habitat for small mammals, the main food source for barn owls.

Brown hares do not have burrows like rabbits, even their young are born above ground. If a predator is nearby they stay perfectly still, not moving, until the last minute. Then when no other options remains they run extremely fast, zigzagging as they go, trying to outrun their predators. A landscape consisting of a variety of different wildlife corridors, such as field margins and hedgerows allows the brown hare room to escape and evade predators.

As well as relying on a network of wildlife corridors within the landscape these three species need our help. Barn owl numbers have fallen by more than half since 1932. This decline is due to a fall in the number of nest sites as barns and derelict farm buildings are being converted into homes, plus a decline in areas of rough grassland hunting grounds.

 One way everyone in Norfolk can help in the conservation of these three species is to share your barn owl, brown hare and common frog sightings with Norfolk Wildlife Trust. Recording wildlife is an easy way to get involved in wildlife conservation. It helps Norfolk Wildlife Trust to understand an animal’s distribution across the county, and identify any areas particularly important or lacking in these species. We also pass the records on to Norfolk Biodiversity Information Service, the Local Record Centre holding information on species,habitats and protected sites for the whole of Norfolk.

The survey forms part of a community project run by Norfolk Wildlife Trust called Delivering Living Landscapes, which is working to engage people with their landscape and its wildlife. It is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Essex & Suffolk Water, John Jarrold Trust and Broads Authority.

Sightings can be submitted easily online at NWT’s website, where you will also be able to see a distribution map of all the sightings submitted so far.

You can also phone your wildlife sighting to Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s Wildlife Information Service on 01603 598 333 or pick up a recording card from one of the Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s visitor centres.

These may be my favourite species but I also hope they are special to you too. Sharing your wildlife sightings of brown hares, barn owls and common frogs will help Norfolk Wildlife Trust and Norfolk Biodiversity Information Service build up a vital picture of where these species are in Norfolk.

A hedgehog in the kitchen

Helen Baczkowska, Conservation Officer and Diane Gilbert, NWT volunteer

Nine-thirty on a November night and on the way to lock up my hens for the night, I spotted a tiny shape scuttling into the veg garden. Normally this would be a moment for joy, not concern, but this was a very small hedgehog, lacking the fat reserves to hibernate and likely to die if not given some help. 

Hedgehog by woodpile, photo by Quintin Saling

So I scooped her up into my coat and settled her into a box in the kitchen for the night, with a dish of water, a handful of raisins and some straw. The following morning, I dropped her off at the wonderful Norwich Hedgehog Rescue, with a donation to help with their costs; this is one of a number of places that can take in tiny hedgehogs and give advice on hedgehog care. Over the coming weeks, they will feed her up and then send her off to a foster home to winter awake in a hutch in a shed, before re-release in the spring – hopefully back into my veg garden, where she can feast on slugs and snails and bring me much happiness if our night time rambles cross paths!

Such tiny hedgehogs are not uncommon this time of year, usually the result of a late litter and if you think you have hedgehogs in your garden, here is what you can do to help in autumn:

• Be careful when lighting bonfires or moving piles of leaves – there might be a hedgehog hibernating within!
• Look out for tiny hedgehogs they need to be at least 600g to get through the winter – I weighed mine on the kitchen scales to be sure!
• If you do find a hedgehog in distress, you can call the RSPCA, or find a hedgehog rescue contact from the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) on 01584 890 801 or http://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/found-a-hedgehog.php or email info@britishhedgehogs.org.uk and of course NWT Wildline is here to help too: 01603 598333
• Consider being a hedgehog foster parent for the winter!  You will need to be briefly trained and have a frost free shed with a rabbit hutch – see the BHPS website for information.

Hedgehog populations have declined by about a quarter in the last ten years (British Hedgehog Preservation Society & People’s Trust for Endangered Species) and yet, this is a species that happily lives alongside people in gardens and parks. However, gardens do need to be hedgehog friendly and here are some ways you can help garden with them in mind:

• Have a supply of water in your garden for hedgehogs and other animals. Milk is not good for hedgehogs.

• Hedgehogs will eat at least 100 invertebrates, such as snails, slugs and worms every night. If you want to put out supplementary food you can buy specially made dried food for hedgehogs or you can feed them dog or cat food – any flavour except fish.
• Use only hedgehog friendly slug pellets or control slugs by trapping.
• Provide suitable habitat by leaving areas of your garden undisturbed to allow hedgehogs to shelter. Avoid strimming and grass cutting in these areas.
• Provide extra shelter by creating hibernation spots, this can be a box or log pile. Hedgehogs also love compost heaps for the warmth and food they find.

I hope you have the opportunity to enjoy hedgehogs in your garden and I am keeping my fingers crossed that my tiny one comes back in the spring to enjoy my garden for years to come (and to help me keep the slugs at bay)!

100 Species, Number 4: Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit!

David North, Head of People and Wildlife

Fluffy bunnies, maybe, but this is a species which has nibbled whole Norfolk landscapes into shape. The rabbits’ impact on so many aspects of our land, habitats and wildlife was only really demonstrated when 99% of them vanished following the introduction of myxamotosis in the early 1950s. Rabbits were also the foundation of an industry based on exploiting their meat and fur that lasted for centuries and had profound impacts on many parts of Norfolk, nowhere more so than in the Brecks. The rabbit was also a major pest, causing problems for both farmers and foresters. Love them, or hate them, their influence has been surprisingly large.

The rabbit, like the pheasant (see previous post) is another species which is not really native, though ironically today it’s usually seen as a force for conservation good rather than as an invasive alien.

The early origins of rabbits in England are somewhat contested. Most authorities have this species down as introduced by the Normans but others suggest that the Romans may have brought rabbits with them and yet others say they arrived with the returning Crusaders. However they first got here, they were highly valued, with managed warrens established and controlled by the Church.

In parts of Norfolk warrening was well established by the 1300s. The areas of land covered by warrens in the Brecks and West Norfolk was immense. The boundary banks of each warren could run for many miles and were often topped with gorse hedges in an attempt to prevent rabbits straying into neighbouring warrens. Great fortified warren lodges, often build to a standard design, housed the warreners. From the 1300s to the 1900s there were working warrens in the Brecks. At first, in early medieval times, rabbit meat was a luxury, the food of nobles and the Church. However in more recent times it became a poor person’s meat, and then from the 1900s was even used to produce pet food. The scale of the rabbit industry in Norfolk was huge. As recently as the 1920s one estate in the Brecks was still employing 30 warreners and killing 120,000 rabbits a year. Many Norfolk rabbit carcasses were exported to London for the meat market but there also developed a lucrative industry centred on Brandon based on their skins. Rabbit fur was used to produce felt for the hat industry.

Of course by the twentieth century rabbits weren’t just in warrens they were almost everywhere across Norfolk. I don’t know at their peak how many rabbits were in Norfolk but nationally between 1950 and 1953 more than 40 million rabbits a year were being killed from an estimated population of well over 100 million. Then came myxamatosis, illegally introduced from the continent by landowners. More than 99% of rabbits were dead within three years.

This sudden disappearance of rabbits revealed how potent an influence they had been having on landscapes and habitats. Rabbits don’t thrive in areas of long grass or woodland but their nibbling creates just the right conditions for them, producing areas of closely grazed turf and lots of bare soil from their diggings. Many rare plants and insects thrive in just these conditions. Remove the rabbits and long course grass soon grows up and eventually scrub or even woodland may develop on what was previously sandy grass-heath. Lose the rabbits and you lose a special habitat and a whole host of rare species that depend on it.

Today rabbits are once again widespread. Every rabbit kitten will suffer from myxamatosis during its first year of life but many now survive, rabbits having evolved a degree of resistance. On nature reserves such as NWT Weeting Heath conservation management includes looking after the rabbits by ensuring favourable conditions for them. Without rabbits the nationally rare stone curlew would not find the habitat favourable. It, like many rare Breckland plants, including the beautiful spiked speedwell and Breckland thyme, depends on short rabbit grazed turf to thrive.

So though the rabbit is without doubt an introduced species, today it finds a warm welcome on many Norfolk nature reserves. And then again, without the rabbit where would predators like the stoat, buzzard and fox be? So perhaps the rabbit, after many centuries here, should be offered citizenship rights. Love it or loathe it, it’s over here, and here to stay.