Blogs

Mammal Society Science Officer Frazer Coomber writes: On Friday 26 July I joined Philippa (Pip) Mountjoy and a small group of volunteers at the BTO Nunnery offices in Thetford. The event was a training workshop to introduce volunteers to the Shifting Sands project, as well as to the Mammal Society’s Mammal Mapper App, and explain… 

Badger (Meles meles)   Badgers are widespread in Britain, and are most commonly distributed in the south west (Figure 1). They’re nocturnal animals and rarely seen during the day, the usually lie in an extensive system of underground tunnels and nesting chambers known as a sett.   Badgers belong to the family Mustelids. This family… 

Rose Toney, Training and Events Officer at the Mammal Society writes: The Mammal Society is one of the country’s leading providers of specialist training to amateur and professional mammologists and conservationists. We deliver a programme of courses, throughout the year, which caters for a diverse range of interests and requirements…there really is something for everyone!… 

The Water Vole (Arvicola terrestris)   The water vole is a rat-sized semi-aquatic mammal with dark chestnut-brown fur, short rounded ears and a hair-covered tail, half the length of the head and body. The water vole is native and found throughout Britain.   Water voles have undergone a long term decline in Britain, disappearing from… 

Mammal Society Science Officer Frazer Coomber writes: We were recently contacted by Philippa Mountjoy of East Anglia’s Shifting Sands project. Shifting Sands is one of nineteen nationwide Back from the Brink conservation programmes which aims to save 20 animal, plant and fungi species from extinction and benefit over 200 more. The focus of the Shifting… 

Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus) The brown rat has grey-ish brown fur; a prominent muzzle, eyes, ears, and a long bare tail. The brown rat is native to central Asia and introduced to the British Isles around 1720. It has since spread through the British Isles, and much of the temperate world, carried by humans in… 

American Mink (Neovison vison)   American mink are an invasive, non-native species, originating in North America. The American mink is a small mammal, with dark brown fur, and small white patches along their chins and throats. American mink were introduced to Europe when they escaped or were set free from fur farms in the 1950s… 

The European Otter (Lutra lutra)   The European Otter is a large aquatic carnivore with dark fur and a long black tapered tail. It’s an important biological indicator for the health of our rivers and wetlands, as well as being a top predator in these habitats. During the 20th century, otter populations underwent a noticeable… 

Artificial night lighting is one of the most pervasive — and yet under-recognised — causes of environmental pollution. Although technological advances have vastly improved the cost effectiveness and energy efficiency of lighting over recent decades, these potentially positive changes are offset by an ever-increasing use of cheaper lights (the so-called rebound effect). Globally, external lighting…