Are you sitting comfortably?
Are you sure? Because yesterday I found that that we are all sitting on top of a hot spot; sounds terrifying!
But do not fear, this hot spot is nothing but a positive thing, and something we should all be extremely heartened, if not very proud of. It’s all to do with wildlife.
I attended a conference yesterday about dormice in Devon. It was hosted by Devon Wildlife Trust, as they are the county champions of this much loved and heavily protected species. At the meeting a presentation was given by Jim Jones of the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, who is looking at the significance of hedgerows for dormice, and low-and-behold East Devon is a UK hotspot.
Nationally, the misnamed hazel dormouse (more about that later) is a scarce and threatened species, but it would seem that here in Devon we are blessed with something of a dormouse stronghold. Records from the East of the county are particularly abundant. It looks like we are dormouse HQ, at least for Devon.
So how does this impact upon us, the dormouse’s co-habitees in the District? Well, thanks to a piece of planning legislation, PPS9, in combination with a great deal of European Law this little mouse is afforded very strong protection, which should mean that Devon continues to be a stronghold for this mammal. However, as far as daily encounters with the ginger fluff-balls go, they are something of an elusive quantity.
Current accepted knowledge suggests that dormice are predominantly nocturnal and religiously arboreal, seldom venturing down to the woodland floor. Also, as that previous comment suggested, it is said that dormice are very much animals of established woodland. The name “hazel dormouse” comes from the thought that they are intimately linked to hazel tress and dormouse means sleepy mouse – from the French ‘dormir’ to sleep. That all sounds logical you might think – where’s the misnomer?
Well, the more the ecology of Mucardinus avellanarius is studied, especially in this county, the more we notice that their dependence on hazel woodlands is variable to say the least. To thrive, dormice need what is known as successional food sources, which is a fancy way of saying they like to eat seasonal produce. Unlike voles or woodmice dormice do not possess a caecum, which means they can’t digest cellulose material efficiently and so are restricted to a high protein diet consisting of nuts, fruit and small invertebrates, especially aphids. With dormice being found in hazel-less blackthorn hedgerows, or garden bird feeders, our concept of how catholic their tastes are, is surely set to change.
DWT volunteer Steve Carrol gave a very interesting talk about some of the odd places Dormice have been found recently, and this leads neatly on to your chance to participate.
Steve showed slides of a number of gardens whose owners had reported dormice in strange places. It was deduced that the little fellow snuggled up in a dressing gown pocket, and the dormouse which fell from the curtains, were both brought into the house by cats. No great ecological epiphany concerning dormice dependence on soft furnishings, but at least evidence that dormice were inhabiting the local area... that is, until the cat got hold of them.
However, dormice seen feeding on bird feeders or trapped inside seed containers, were definitely visiting gardens of their own volition, behaviour that was new to local dormice experts and worth closer investigation. Steve visited each house and examined the evidence, and piece by piece is slotting together a new ecological image of the dormouse. One thing all the gardens had in common was their proximity to surrounding woodland or established hedgerows.
As we find out more about an animal, so our approach to monitoring it can change. Nestbox schemes are the current standard practice; putting up little boxes or nest tubes in woodland or hedgerows and monitoring their use by dormice making nests within. Such a scheme is currently being carried out in Holyford Woods Local Nature Reserve, with great success. But there has always been a feeling that because Holyford has so many natural nesting opportunities for dormice, like so many Devon woodlands, they weren’t using the nest boxes as much as they would elsewhere in the country. Perhaps a new approach is necessary to get a true picture of their lives in Devon?
Devon Hedge Group member and Farmer, Rob Wolton gave a presentation of his findings over several years studying dormouse nests within his farm’s hedgerows. He surveyed for nests through the year, using his knowledge of the landscape and skilled eye to find the nests – orange sized for sleeping, grapefruit sized for maternity nests. The farm was teeming with dormice, with a single 30 metre stretch of hedgerow containing no less that three maternity nests! His findings were very interesting and indicated a distinct lack of dependency on hazel shrubs. Hedgerows tend to be managed for neatness, being cut back or flailed on a fairly regular cycle. As hazel requires eight years of uninterrupted growth to begin to produce nuts, the crop of hazel nuts in most hedges is rather scarce. Rosehips, haws, aphids and caterpillars however abound in these wonderful Devon hedgerows.
So here’s my challenge to you as a hot-spot resident – keep an eye on your bird feeders, dressing gowns and drapery, and if you see one of these charming little mammals, please contact the Devon Biodiversity Records Centre and let them know. Instances of dormice in gardens will increase our understanding of the mouse’s requirements and mean we can offer a much more specific and informed action plan for their conservation into the future.
There seem to be a few animals, mammals in particular, which people sometimes have a reluctance to share information about. Otters spring to mind, dormice are another. It is almost always with the best interests of the animal in mind that people keep their knowledge to themselves, fearing that by letting someone know about it, it might be putting the creature in jeopardy. But this is definitely not the case with this initiative; the more we know about them, the more we can work throughout the county to help them flourish and the more likelihood there will be of finding one of these charming little animals visiting your bird table.