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Gwent Wildlife Trust is asking for volunteers to ‘go
nuts’ as part of a survey looking for signs of one of Wales’ rare and
elusive mammals. Dormice are quite small creatures, weighing about the
same as two £1 coins. They are bright golden in colour, with a thick
furry tail and large black eyes. Dormice are easily distinguished from
other mammals, but they are nocturnal so you are very unlikely to come
across them on a stroll in the countryside.
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The South Wales Dormouse Survey is a joint
project between 14 local authorities in South Wales, Gwent
Wildlife Trust, the Wildlife Trusts of South and West Wales and
the Countryside Council for Wales. It covers the whole of South
Wales – from Pembrokeshire to Monmouthshire. Although we know
that Gwent is a stronghold for dormice, our knowledge of
dormouse distribution at a local level in South Wales is still
quite poor.
Gwent Wildlife Trust owns several reserves
that support dormice (for example
Croes Robert and
Pentwyn Farm) but we know
very little about where they can be found in the wider
countryside. This is why we need volunteers and community groups
to help out with a bit of detective work.
We want people to go out looking for
discarded hazelnut shells in their local woodlands and along
hedgerows. Dormice eat hazelnuts in a very characteristic way,
leaving the shell with very distinctive marks. With a little bit
of practice volunteers can learn to identify which nuts have
been opened by dormice. |
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You can download a Dormouse Survey information pack
here which gives you all the information required to take part in the
survey.
Dormouse
Survey Pack
A second survey pack has also been produced which
gives tips on how to organise a nut hunt as part of a school or
community group event.
Community
Dormouse Surveys
If you have problems downloading the form, please
contact the Trust office on 01600 740358.
Further Information:
How Croes Robert is managed for dormice.
http://www.gwentwildlife.org/reserves/charcoalProduction.htm
Basic dormouse facts and pictures.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/263.shtml
More about dormouse conservation in Monmouthshire
(from the Monmouthshire Local Biodiversity Action Plan)
http://www.monmouthshiregreenweb.co.uk/biodiversitypartnership/files/(B13%20&%20B14)%20Dormouse.pdf
Dormouse Appeal:
Please help us keep Gwent internationally important
for dormice. We desperately need the money to keep this work going.
See our dormouse appeal page.
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