White Otters in the wild are very rare, with only a hand full of sightings in the UK over the last 50 years, the most recent an individual in Perthshire. Could there now be one in Suffolk?
Emma Strachan has contacted wildlife sightings with the exiting news of the sighting in Melton, Woodbridge on the 11/06/11 at roughly 21.00.
"While driving up my road I noticed a white otter rolling around on the grass I pulled the car over and was certain it was a white otter"
Unfortunately Emma was unable to get a photo of the otter to confirm the sighting, although with its white coat it should not be long before another sighting is made.
If you Think you have seen a white otter please contact wildlife sightings UK by email: wildlifesightings@hotmail.co.uk
Showing posts with label Mammal Sightings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mammal Sightings. Show all posts
Monday, 13 June 2011
Sunday, 5 June 2011
Mammal Sightings: Rare bat raises new problems for high speed rail
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| The Bechstein bat Photo: ALAMY |
By David Millward
A rare bat, barely bigger than a matchbox, is the latest threat to plans to build a high speed rail from London to the West Midlands.
The colony of Bechstein’s bats have been discovered in Finemere Wood, near Aylesbury, Bucks, one of more than 21 ancient woodlands under threat from the project.
Campaigners opposed to the £32 billion project, which would see trains hurtling through the countryside at 250mph, say that destroying the bats’ habitat is illegal.
The bat is one of Britain’s rarest mammals, found in only a few woodlands across the country.
In Germany the discovery of a colony led to a motorway being re-routed through a tunnel, rather than destroy the trees containing disused woodpecker holes where the bats roosted.
Classified as a European Protected Species and also covered by the United Kingdom biodiversity action plan, the bats have the highest level legal conservation status.
"If the HS2 route rips through this area it will destroy another important wildlife site,” said Phillippa Lyons, the chairman of the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust.
"The Government hasn't considered the route's devastating impact on wildlife at all, which is astounding when you consider the scale of the HS2 development,”
"If HS2 Ltd had done a proper environmental assessment, they would be aware of all the wildlife that will be affected."
The row over the bats is the latest controversy to dog the scheme this year. In February the Woodland Trust, a conservation charity, said that the project will either destroy or cause irrevocable damage to the sites which house treasured flora and fauna.
Other woods at risk included The destruction of Sheephouse Wood, near Twyford, Bucks is threatening the habitat of one of Britain’s rarest butterflies, the Black Hairstreak.
An HS2 spokesman said the company was aware of the potential problem with the bats.
“It is far too early to say whether Bechstein’s bats would be affected by the proposed high speed rail link as so little is known about them.
“Bats are a protected species by law so any development close to their habitat would be overseen by Natural England.
“If the Government’s proposals for HS2 are taken forward we would look to work with Natural England, the North Bucks Bat Group and the Bat Conservation Trust to establish if there would be any impact and take the necessary avoidance measures.
“We would also explore whether HS2 could improve local woodland management to the benefit of the species.”
Mammal Sighting: Mole in Suffolk Garden
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| Photo: Paul Haines |
Sunday, 29 May 2011
American mink targeted in £1 million cull
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By Mark Mackay
North Tayside is a key target area in a near £1 million bid to cull the breeding American mink before it can do irrevocable damage to the native wildlife.
The invasive predator has spread out through waterways across the north of Scotland, with its population now estimated at more than 20,000.
In doing so, the carnivore is increasingly posing what is considered an unpalatable threat to water voles, ground nesting birds and economically important populations of salmon and game birds.
As a result, a Scottish Mink Initiative has been set up to oversee a controlled culling of the animal, with trapping and extermination set to take place across large parts of the north.
Although it can be difficult to track the nocturnal animals, a number of hot spot areas have been identified, with high populations of American mink on the Ericht and Isla Rivers and the Angus Glens making Blairgowrie a strategic area for trapping.
Reports of mink sightings from keen conservationists indicate Aberfeldy to the west is also an area of concern.
Organisers say that the mink will be caught in humane traps before being dispatched with a single shot to the head — a method they believe will cause the least suffering.
While the move is likely to prove controversial — there was significant opposition earlier this year to the announcement that feral beavers in Tayside were to be recaptured — those behind the plan insist it is needed. Capturing and then releasing the mink would only transfer the problem elsewhere.
The American mink became established in the wild in the UK in the 1950s, following escapes and releases from fur farms. Their descendants have since spread throughout the country and have even been discovered on the Western Isles.
The Scottish Mink Initiative has been set up by a partnership including the Rivers and Fisheries Trusts of Scotland (RAFTS), the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), Aberdeen University and 16 other organisations.
Together they aim to target the mink and remove its presence from 20,000 square kilometres of Scottish countryside, from rural north Tayside, across Aberdeenshire, Moray, the Cairngorms National Park and the Highlands.
The initiative says it hopes to protect native wildlife as well as economic stability and signals a £920,000 investment in native wildlife conservation.
Support has come from the Cairngorms National Park Authority, Highland, Moray, Rural Aberdeenshire and Rural Tayside LEADER 2003-2007 Programmes and SNH.
Ann-Marie MacMaster, the Scottish Mink Initiative North Tayside mink control officer, said, "Previous research indicates there is a healthy population of breeding American mink in the lower and middle Tay catchment.
"Through their dispersal and subsequent re-invasion, American mink pose a significant threat to healthy water vole populations in the head waters of the Tay.
"By working strategically with the community, I hope to set up a volunteer network to monitor mink movements using mink rafts and establish an alert system to help us prevent further spread of the species.
"While animal control will be necessary, animal welfare considerations will be paramount to our operations."
Hollie Walker, the Scottish Mink Initiative co-ordinator, said, "This initiative is as much about ensuring economic security for local communities as it is about protecting Scotland's wildlife.
"By taking action now to prevent mink from continuing to impact negatively on our native wildlife, we are also safeguarding local economies and livelihoods which depend on angling, shooting, or wildlife tourism.
"The success of this initiative relies on community support and involvement and we hope that by working with landowners we can deliver real, tangible results to benefit local communities now and in the future."
There have been previous mink control projects in the Cairngorms National Park and north east Scotland.
Source: http://www.thecourier.co.uk/Living/Outdoors/article/13876/american-mink-targeted-in-1-million-cull.html
Thursday, 26 May 2011
Mammal Sightings: 'Rare' dormouse found at farm in rural Lancashire
A tiny mammal described by the Lancashire Wildlife Trust as "rare" has put in a surprise appearance at a remote farm in rural Lancashire.
The dormouse was discovered snoozing in its nest, concealed among plastic bags, on a farm in Preesall, near Garstang.
Though more common in southern England, the Trust says there have been no confirmed sightings of dormice in Lancashire since the 1980s.
The Trust is keen to find out where the mouse, a protected species, came from.
Trust volunteer Bob Danson, who was called to confirm the sighting, said: "It was still in hibernation so the lady who found it took it home and put it in a warm place.
"To my knowledge there are no recordings of dormice locally. It is possible this came to the farm with one of many deliveries of potatoes, pheasants or fertilizer."
Small populationSince it was discovered, another farm has also reported seeing dormice, raising hopes that there might be a small population in the county.
Dr Tim Graham, Lancashire biodiversity manager for the Trust, said: "This is a very unusual discovery because dormice are very rarely found in Lancashire, so we would love to find out whether there might be a small population in the area."
UK populations of the animal have shrunk as mixed woodland of oak, hazel, sweet chestnut and other food-bearing plants have been cleared for agriculture and development.
Badly managed hedgerows, loss of traditionally managed coppices and the spread of coniferous plantations have also damaged the prospects for dormice in Britain.
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| There are an estimated 45,000 dormice in England and Wales |
The dormouse is now being cared for by Sarah Bird, Chester Zoo's biodiversity officer, who holds a special licence from Natural England to look after the animals.
"It's really exciting that one has been found in Lancashire," she said.
"They can survive in new woodland and even in conifer plantations, so long as they can find brambles and pollen to feed on.
"Once one is spotted, you start getting more sightings."
There are an estimated 45,000 dormice in England and Wales and the Lancashire Wildlife Trust now plan to carry out surveys in the autumn to see how many dormice are in the area and if more can be reintroduced.
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
Red Squirrel Distribution in the UK
Population
Information
Red squirrels are timid, tree-dwelling mammals that live at low densities in the UK so are seldom seen. It is therefore very difficult to carry out an accurate census of the UK populations or assess population trends.
The most recent estimates of red squirrel population size were compiled by Harris et al.(1995). They produced an estimate of 161,000 red squirrels in Great Britain, with approximately 30,000 in England, 10,000 in Wales (although recent estimates are significantly lower), and a main population of 121,000 in Scotland, representing 70-75% of the GB population.
The population in England has a very fragmented distribution, occurring in isolated populations on the islands in Poole Harbour, on the Isle of Wight, in Thetford forest, East Anglia (although this population may already have disappeared) and across the north of England.
The Welsh population is mostly confined to discreet woodland patches, predominantly in large coniferous forest blocks such as Clocaenog forest and on the Isle of Anglesey.
Scotland is a stronghold for the red squirrel with a habitat that favours them over the grey squirrel such as the native Caledonian pine forests and the large sitka spruce dominated conifer plantations.
A recent survey in Northern Ireland gave a figure of 10 000 red squirrels across the province(O'Teangana, 1999).
Historical changes
It is thought that red squirrels made their way to the British Isles from mainland Europe by the end of the last ice age, approximately 10 000 years ago. Records indicate a large population as far back as the 15th and 16th Century but, evidence shows that before grey squirrel introductions, there were historical population fluxes of reds and by the 18thcentury, populations were declining principally because of loss of woodland. Red squirrels were reported to have become extinct in some parts of Scotland following large-scale deforestation, but the widespread planting of conifers and introductions of red squirrels from England and possibly Scandinavia in the late 18th and early 19th centuries resulted in increasing populations between 1890 and 1910.
In 1903, the Highland Squirrel Club was established to control red squirrels, which were causing severe bark stripping damage to trees, and over 82,000 animals were killed in the 20 years up to 1933. Populations throughout the British Isles declined again between 1910 and 1930 becoming scarce in many places in the 1920's (Gurnell, 1991).
A similar pattern of population change occurred in Northern Ireland.
Grey squirrel arrival
The grey squirrel was introduced to approximately 30 different sites in the UK between 1876 and 1929, and contributed to the decline in red squirrel populations since 1920. Grey squirrels have now replaced red squirrel populations throughout much of their former range.
It is thought that once grey squirrels arrive in a woodland populated by red squirrels, the two species can co-exist for about 20 years before red squirrels disappear from the site.
All data from the NBN Gateway
This map shows the range contraction of red squirrels in the UK. The black and red dots highlight the recorded distribution up till 1985. Sites with only red dots are the known distribution post 1985. Please note that this is based on positive recording, many sites in Scotland may still have red squirrels present but they have not been positively recorded since 1985.
Throughout the whole of the UK, the red squirrel is still under threat from long term habitat loss and change, and from competition and potential grey squirrel incursion and disease transmission and it is predicted that their numbers will continue to decline, at least in mainland UK, without specific habitat management.
Mammal Sightings: Hull garden home to 'world's oldest' wild common toad
The world's oldest wild common toad could be living in a garden in Hull, according to experts at the University of York.
Georgie the toad was introduced to a garden in the Greatfield area in 1973, to protect tomato plants against pests.
Scientists were told of the creature as part of a nature study and they believe it is at least 40-years-old.
Common toads can live for 12 years in the wild and up to 40 or 50 years in captivity.
University of York community scientist Sal Hobbs said: "As a young adult Georgie was given as a gift to a Hull resident as a way of protecting her tomato plants against pests.
"That was 38 years ago, so remarkably Georgie must be at least 40 years old now.
"Therefore, as a wild common toad of her age, Georgie might well be a world record-breaker."
Source: BBC News Humberside
Mammal Sightings: Liverpool Home to Rare Water Voles
Merseyside waterways are home to one of the rarest mammals in the UK, according to a new study.
Water voles are the fastest declining mammal in the UK, but the study by Cheshire Wildlife Trust shows one of the highest populations in Sefton.
In Lunt Meadows, 30 water voles were recorded in a 100-metre area compared to the national average of six.
The trust now hopes to secure national recognition and protection for the water vole population.
Dr Tim Graham, Lancashire biodiversity manager, said the Water Vole Project had shown that changes in land use and the fact that American mink prey on water voles had affected numbers.
"Sites on the edge of Sefton may represent a refuge from mink and changes to larger water courses," said Dr Graham.
"The narrow ditches across the intensive agricultural areas of Sefton are ideal habitat with emergent vegetation, steep banks for burrows and slow moving water.
"They are not fussy about the water quality and they are great divers and swimmers, but they can easily be affected by floods which destroy burrows and scour out food supplies.
"Their populations can recover so long as their habitat is maintained and they do not become isolated."
Water voles are also often confused with rats and can be accidentally poisoned by pest controllers, and site developers.
Part of the wildlife trusts' Water Vole Project is to educate people on the difference between a water vole and a brown rat.
"Ratty from The Wind in the Willows does not help matters," Dr Graham continued.
"He is actually a water vole. Water voles are darker than brown common rats, about the same size with a rounder body and shorter, chubbier face with ears which extend just above their fur."
The North West Lowland Water Vole Project is the culmination of four years of work in the North West under the guidance of the Water for Wildlife Programme.
Reference: BBC Liverpool
Monday, 23 May 2011
Sighting of a Deer in Middle of Sale
By Chris Griffin
WILDLIFE lover Graham Ingham got the surprise of his life this week - when he spotted a deer on a main road in Sale.
Graham was driving along residential Brooklands Road on Sunday morning when he saw a deer run across the road about 25 yards in front of him.
It then headed towards him and past his car before turning into a side road, Framingham Road.
Graham pulled up to see it and reached for his mobile phone to take a picture - but then realised he did not have it with him.
Graham, 56, watched the deer as it ran up and down the road, but then drove off and left it as he was concerned he was startling it.
Father-of-two Graham is used to seeing deer in his regular holiday haunt of the Scottish Highlands - but never expected to come across one in the Sale area were has lived all his life.
Experts at Cheshire Wildlife Trust were also taken aback by the sighting.
The National Trust’s Dunham Massey Park, which is five miles away, said there were no reports of any of its deer getting out of the park.
Warehouseman Graham, of Yattendon Avenue, Brooklands, who was heading to work in Trafford Park when he saw the deer at about 6.20am, said: “I couldn’t believe my eyes, I was staggered.
“I see hundreds of roe deer on my holidays in north west Scotland, and at first I thought it was a roe deer.
“But now I think it was a young red deer.”
Graham said that despite the early hour other people were about who could have seen it. He saw a milkman and Metrolink passengers heading to Brooklands station.
Tom Marshall, from Cheshire Wildlife Trust, said: “The sighting of a deer in the heart of Sale is extremely unusual, as compared to other UK counties Cheshire has a fairly limited covering of woodland - the favoured habitat of our larger deer the red, roe and fallow deer.
“Coming across a ‘wild’ deer anywhere in the county would be a startling moment to savour for anyone.
“There has been an increase in deer numbers across parts of the UK in recent years, which has led to more regular sightings in urban parks, cemeteries and larger gardens.
“However in Cheshire deer remain relatively scarce, with a very small herd of around a dozen red deer in Macclesfield Forest one of the few wild groups to be found.”
Graham said the deer was about 3ft 6in to 4ft 6in at the shoulder, with short antlers, brown with an an orangey tan rump spot.
Reference: http://www.messengernewspapers.co.uk
Sunday, 22 May 2011
Rare Sighting: Albino Otter Spotted in Scotland!
by Lisa Boyle
AN ALBINO otter gracing the River Ayr has been spotted again – crossing a busy street.
The rare mammal was spied having a stroll before relaxing in the front garden of a nearby house.
Stunned onlookers reached for their cameras as the otter walked among them in Ayr’s Masonhill Road.
Eyewitness David Cardie, 68, revealed: “At first I thought it was a big cat, but the closer I got it was clearly an otter.
“Then it hopped off the pavement and just strolled across the street.”
David, who captured the otter on film, added: “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It allowed me to get within 10 feet and take pictures as it lay down in someone’s garden – it didn’t seem bothered at all.”
The fearless furball has become a phenomenon since first being spotted in the river last month.
Stunned wildlife experts told the Post how albino otters are hardly ever spotted in the wild.
And further sightings have now been reported, with revellers claiming to have seen the otter in Ayr High Street during the early hours.
Barry Heggie says he was among a group of people who saw the now famous otter on their way to Madisons nightclub.
Barry confessed: “I realised it was a white otter and I was absolutely flabbergasted. We were only a few feet away from it.
“It was about five times the size of an average ferret.
“When we first saw it, it was lying on the wall just outside Argos. Then it ran across the street to the doorway of the Kyle Centre before disappearing into the High Street.”
As soon as Barry got home to Patna he couldn’t wait to try and find out more about what he had seen.
He added: “I’d never even heard of a white otter. I googled it and up popped the story from the Ayrshire Post from a couple of weeks ago.”
A spokesman for Ayrshire’s Hessilhead Wildlife Centre confirmed: “Sightings of white otters are few and far between.
“They’re not unheard of but, in general, they remain very rare.
“By the looks of this otter, it is probably quite young.
“Although their population is actually doing quite well in Scotland these days, this is an albino otter and those are far more difficult to come across.”
Lynx Spotted in Yorkshire! Bradford Council launches investigation after big cat sighting in Shipley
A sighting of a lynx has been reported in Shipley
Bradford Council is investigating a reported sighting of a “three-foot lynx” cat near the River Aire in Shipley.A woman dog walker from Bingley spotted what she was convinced was a big cat dash out of woodland – chasing a deer – near Nab Wood.Former RSPCA officer Pam Laking said the woman, who did not want to be named, had reported the sighting to vets and Bradford Council’s countryside service.Bob Thorp, the Council’s trees and woodlands manager, said Lynx are not native to Britain, but it was “not impossible” that a lynx could have escaped from someone who had imported it as a pet.Mrs Laking, who is chairman of the Friends of St Ives group in Bingley, said: “I can totally believe it. Everybody is ringing everybody else saying ‘be careful’ when they are walking their dogs.”Mr Thorp said: “It is unlikely that a lynx cat is living in Hirst Wood as we have not had any other reported sightings, but then again it is not impossible as it could have escaped from someone who had imported it.”
A sighting of a lynx has been reported in Shipley
Saturday, 21 May 2011
Increase in Red Squirrel Sightings: Red Squirrels Start Fighting Back Against Greys
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Red Squirrel in Aberdeenshire
Red squirrel sightings in the north east have increased in recent years after the launch of a project to protect the animal.
Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels, the largest project to protect the rodents in the country, believes that the increased sightings are a positive sign.
Mel Tonkin, project manager the red squirrel initiative, revealed that the animals have been spotted in areas of Perthshire and Aberdeenshire for what is believed to be the first time since the project was launched two years ago.
Ms Tonkin added: “This project is the first strategic approach to red squirrel conservation ever to be attempted in Scotland.
“By channelling resources to priority areas in our aim to protect red squirrels by halting the spread of grey squirrels, we are making encouraging progress.
“Most excitingly, since the start of the project, red squirrel sightings are being reported to us more frequently in some areas, such as Dunkeld, Meigle and Alyth, and red squirrels have also been spotted in other areas, like Stoneywood near Aberdeen, for the first time.
“Another encouraging achievement in the last two years has been our success in setting up networks of local landowners working to control grey squirrels in target zones. More than 300 landowners are now involved with our project, helping us maintain larger control boundaries and monitor squirrel distribution.”
Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels has also released a list of some of the best places to see the rare rodent, including the Carnie Woods near Aberdeen, Haddo House in the Borders, the Queen Elizabeth Forest near Aberfoyle and Blair Atholl in Perthshire.
Rare Mammal Sighting: Pine Marten Sighting in Cumbrian Forest
Pine Marten: BBC News
By Scott Kirk
ONE OF England’s rarest mammals is living in a South Lakeland forest, a DNA test has revealed.
The scat, or dropping, of the rare and elusive pine marten is just the third finding in England in the past 10 years.
It was found by Neil Jordan, pine marten project manager for the Vincent Wildlife Trust, who has been scouring Grizedale Forest for evidence of the tree-dwelling mammal for two years.
The discovery by the wildlife charity, which has been looking for the creature in Britain since the mid-1990s, has been hailed ‘very significant’ by VWT chief executive Natalie Buttriss.
“This is a great day for pine marten conservation and a real cause for celebration.
“Staff at the VWT and more than 200 volunteers have given up so much of their time to help the trust in its search for this rare mammal in England and Wales.
“In the last 15 years, The Vincent Wildlife Trust has received more than 100 good quality reported sightings of pine martens in Cumbria so we have always believed they were there, but until today we lacked recent DNA evidence to back this up.
“It is a very significant find.”
After the discovery, the dropping was sent off to the Waterford Institute of Technology in Ireland, where scientists have completed hundreds of DNA samples for the trust over the past two years, and the results came back positive.
As well as Grizedale Forest, VWT researchers also believe the pine marten exists in the Rusland Valley, and forested areas towards West Cumbria such as Ennerdale.
One of the reasons pine martens are so rare is the lack of mature trees with cavities where pine martens can live.
To address this, the VWT and the Forestry Commission have built den boxes in woodlands across Cumbria to provide pine martens with a safe place to breed and raise their young.
Iain Yoxall, ranger with the Forestry Commission at Grizedale, said: “It’s great news to have it confirmed that pine martens are here in Grizedale.
"This reinforces the importance of the Forestry Commission’s work here.”
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