Author: Johnny Birks
Something missing in the Angus Glens
I recently spent a windy day walking up a glen inside the Cairngorms National Park in North-East Scotland. My walk took me from the middle reaches of U-shaped glacial valleys flanked by riverside patches of…continue readingNine sacks of bat poo can make all the difference..!
Worcestershire is fortunate to have an active Bat Group that does good work to record and conserve bats across the county, so the Mammal Group can concentrate mainly on other furry species. Occasionally, however, we…continue readingTracking the Crom Pine Martens
Crackling, frosty leaves under our feet and the strange non-light of a ‘Super Blood Wolf Moon’ add to the thrill of our pre-dawn foray to check live-traps set for pine martens in Crom’s winter woodlands.…continue readingA Quiet Celebration of Otters!
It is wonderful to see so much interest in our otters at the moment, with WMG Chair Poppy Morris describing her thrilling sighting of one near Tewkesbury on 9th January. Back in September I saw…continue readingMammal Records from Owl Pellets
Whilst live-trapping small mammals is useful because we can target specific sites, and exciting because it enables us to see and handle live creatures up close, there are significant downsides that we should not ignore:…continue readingCrepuscular Coney Counts in 2019!
Back in September 2016 I blogged about the decline of rabbits in Britain associated with rabbit viral haemorrhagic disease; and this autumn there were reports from the east of England that brown hares appear to…continue readingA-harvest mousing we will go…..!
After our refresher day at Feckenham Wylde Moor on 30th September, I hope WMG members have been able to start searching for harvest mouse nests? It is good to get out before the end of…continue readingCamera trapping in South Shropshire
Dooley (my canine chum) and I recently spent a fascinating day in a secret south Shropshire woodland, where we checked camera traps for evidence of the extremely elusive local pine martens. Our guides were Stuart…continue readingNon-native Mammals Symposium
I am recently back from attending The Mammal Society’s autumn symposium on ‘Non-native Mammals in Great Britain’. Generously hosted by the engineering firm Arup at their London offices, this was a gathering of amateur and…continue reading- 1
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