Tuesday 14 May 2019

Harvest Mice Release


Every year we release some of our harvest mice out on to our nature reserve to help boost the numbers that we have established there. As with most naturally occurring populations, numbers fall over the winter period, and so an influx of new mice each year help to keep a wild population on our reserve in this fairly isolated area.



From the original releases around the boardwalk area, they have spread over the years further in to our reserve and nearly as far as our wild meadows. The last couple of years have shown several nests, including breeding nests, all around the main part of our nature reserve and a favoured area of through the reeds of our wetland area.



This is where we decided to do a further release for our first release this year, in the second part of the main reserve near the wetlands. This will hopefully help support the mice that would of survived the winter, and help with connectivity to the population around the boardwalk. Fingers crossed.



I do on occasion see one around our wetland boardwalk that the public have access too, but they are very difficult to spot. They are very small, and very shy, but keep an eye open and you never know... you may get lucky.


Wednesday 8 May 2019

Photo of the Month: April 2019

"Weasel" by Tony Walker

Well, what can I say, April has come and gone and with the warm weather we had over our Easter period we saw a lot of animal action. Our adders have been dancing, otters playing and herons looking after their chicks.

This month we have gone for this lovely photo taken by Tony Walker of "Nina", one of our weasels, licking her lips as our photo of the month. Nina will be on our coffee shop wall as part of the photo of the month gallery next year, and Tony will be in with a chance to win a photo day here at the Centre.

A couple more visitor photos shared below, and as always, click on the photographers names to see more photos taken by them.


"Dancing Adders" by Bob Howell



"Friendly Foxes" by Leanne Hilless



"Scottish Wildcat" by Val Brierley