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Small mammal wins biggest prize in this year’s Mammal Photographer of the Year competition

The results of the Mammal Society’s annual photography competition are in. The winner of Mammal Photographer of the Year 2019 is Roy Rimmer from Lancashire with his atmospheric photograph “Woodmouse Shut that Door”.

Roy explains how he managed to capture the perfect shot “…I baited the entrance of the shed door and placed one flash outside the entrance to replicate the moonlight and one flash inside the entrance which I diffused just enough in order to keep a rim light. I struggled for several nights to get the mice in the right place so I decided to smear chocolate near the bottom of the door. This encouraged the mice to stand for a while whilst it licked the bait giving me the opportunity to create the image.”

MPOY judge, nature and conservation photographer Peter Cairns said of the winning photograph “This image stood out for me as soon as I set eyes on it. It’s great to see an under-represented species so creatively captured. The lighting is spot on and, perhaps more importantly, there’s a story delivered with a splash of humour.” Roy wins a conservation holiday in Dorset with Wild Days Conservation.

Runner up in the competition is “Minke Miniscus” by Carl Chapman from Norfolk. The stunning shot was taken off the Ardnamurchan Peninsula in Scotland. “It was a very still day and we came across circa seven Minke Whales. This one was rather curious and circled the boat several times each time skimming the underside of the surface before rising to breathe.”

Chief judge, Hilary Conlan, editor of Mammal News magazine said “Carl’s photograph works really well with the completely smooth silky look of the water but clearly a giant underneath. It is unusual to capture the exact moment before the water is broken. This photograph also serves as a good reminder that we are an island nation and should not forget that the mammal community is not just terrestrial.” Carl wins a two day stay at Knepp Wildlife Safaris. 

The first prize in the Young Photographer of the Year 15 and under category went to Katy Read from Newcastle on Tyne for the second year running. Katy’s photograph “Hide and Seek” made an impact on the judges.

Katy took the photo at Craignure, Isle of Mull “I spent a week of my summer holidays on Mull, and we stayed in a little cottage by the sea. We wandered down to the foreshore before we had even unpacked the car, and much to my surprise and delight I saw my first ever pair of wild otters! This one spent a good ten minutes investigating a patch of floating seaweed, and I crept closer and closer whenever it was under water.” 

Wildlife photographer and ecologist Brett Lewis said “I enjoyed this image as it reminds me of being on the shoreline on the western isles of Scotland, when I last encountered a British otter. Katy has captured the inquisitive nature of the otter as it peeks through the bladder-wrack seaweed, which in turn provides a sense of place and purpose. The otter was likely out and about fishing for small fish and crustaceans, among the algae, and the photograph captures this story very well.” Katy wins a £50 book voucher courtesy of NHBS.

First prize in the 16-18 Years category this year went to 17 year old William Evans from Shropshire “My dad and I were on our way to Strumpshaw Fen, when a little brown mound caught my eye. At first I thought it was a mole hill, but on closer inspection it turned out to be the back of a hare. We inched ever closer until it finally popped its head up and almost immediately bolted, leaving just a split second to snap this picture of it – staring me dead in the eye.”

Competition judge Brett Lewis was impressed “William has captured the light very well in this image. Using backlighting in this manner subtly draws out the lovely textures of the hare’s fur and captures the bokeh effects of light on the succulent green crop shoots. The hare is aware of the photographer’s presence and it would seem that William has managed to capture an image just before the hare darts off across the field. A fleeting moment in natural history recording.” William wins a day of mammal photography at the Westcountry Wildlife Photography Centre.

The Mammal Comedian prize was put to the vote on social media. This award goes to the photograph that really makes the voters smile. This year the first prize was won by Richard Campion’s shot of a bored mountain hare, which won with an impressive 58% of the total votes received. Richard wins a pair of binoculars and a wildlife book courtesy of CJ Wildlife.

The winner of the 2019 Mammal Society Member’s photograph award has this year gone to Tris Pearce of Shropshire with his photograph of a polecat. The beautifully lit image was taken in a friend’s garden in North Wales from a temporary hide around eight feet away, using a two flash system on a trigger. Tris wins a year’s subscription to British Wildlife Magazine donated by NHBS.

Mammal Society Chair Professor Fiona Mathews said “Every year we are really thrilled to receive photographs of such a diverse range of mammals. 2019 is notable as the year we received some lovely images of a Minke whale, a bearded seal and a walrus, mammals which are a relatively rare sight along the shoreline of the UK and Ireland. Next year we are going to introduce a new category for rarely photographed species, so watch out for announcements about this in the autumn.”

All winning and highly commended photographs will be on display at the MPOY2019 exhibition which is this year taking place at the University of Glasgow at the start of the Mammal Society’s annual Spring Conference. Entry to the exhibition and the Cranbrook Lecture on Friday 29 March is free to the public. For more details go to https://www.mammal.org.uk/events/the-mammal-societys-65th-spring-conference/.

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 Prizes

• The winner of Mammal Photographer of the Year 2019 won a wildlife holiday from Wild Days Conservation. https://wilddaysconservation.org/
• The runner up in this category received a 2 day mid week stay at Knepp Wildlife Safaris https://www.kneppsafaris.co.uk/
• The winner of the Young Mammal Photographer of the Year aged 16 to 18 received a day of mammal photography at the Westcountry Wildlife Photography Centre http://www.wcwpc.co.uk
• The winner of the Young Mammal Photographer of the Year aged 15 and under category received £50 Gift Voucher from NHBS https://www.nhbs.com/
• The winner of Mammal Comedian of the Year received a pair of binoculars and a copy of the book A Year in British Wildlife from CJ Wildlife https://www.birdfood.co.uk/
• The winner of best Mammal Society Member’s photograph won a year’s subscription to British Wildlife magazine donated by NHBS https://www.nhbs.com/

Notes to editors

• For more information contact pr@themammalsociety.org or call 077960 98108.
• All further images for use with the press release are available from pr@themammalsociety.org. All images are copyrighted to the photographers and The Mammal Society.

• The Mammal Society is a charitable organisation working at the interface of science, policy making and practice. As the only society with an interest in all British mammals, its mission is to identify effective conservation strategies and to provide the scientific evidence-base for policy and practice.
• The Mammal Society has produced the first review of the Population and Conservation Status of British Mammals for more than 20 years. The Review was published by Natural England in June 2018, together with the Red List of Threatened Mammals for Great Britain. A technical summary of the Review and Red List are available on the Mammal Society website www.mammal.org.uk. Britain’s Mammals 2018, a fully-illustrated guide to the status of Britain’s mammals along with the complete 700-page Review are available from NHBS.
• The Mammal Society’s conservation work is supported through the generosity of our members. Currently our work includes investigating the causes of hedgehog declines and monitoring the status of all British Mammals with the help of citizen science volunteers. To join the Society visit mammal.org.uk.
• The Mammal Society, 18 St John’s Church Road, London E9 6EJ. Registered Company Number 1455136 Charity Number 278918.

The Mammal Society, the only organisation dedicated to the study and conservation of all mammals in Britain and Ireland, launched its new Mammal Mapper app today.

The charity wants members of the public to help record when and where they see mammals.

Most wild mammals, including rabbits and iconic species like hedgehogs and mountain hares, are very poorly monitored. This makes it difficult to know which regions or habitats are most important, or to detect changes in their population sizes.

The Mammal Mapper app is designed to record information on the location and number of animals spotted on walks or bicycle rides. 

Fiona Mathews, Chair of the Mammal Society and Professor of Environmental Biology at Sussex University explains “What we need people to do is to go on a walk or bike-ride (an evening outing of about 45 minutes is ideal) and record the mammals they see. By recording the route taken, the App will let us work out the densities of animals in different habitats. This is a unique feature of the Mammal Mapper app and will be hugely valuable for conservation. Previously we had no way of working out whether a sighting was submitted because an animal was common, or because people were excited to see it because it was rare. It was also difficult to pin down the precise habitat where the mammal was seen. New technology means that this is all now really easy on a smart-phone.”.

Users of the Mammal Mapper can record sightings of any mammal, including field-signs like burrows and mole-hills as well as live animals. The app includes detailed guides to help identify animals by their appearance and is very easy to use.

Prof Mathews added “You can use the app whenever you are out and about — perhaps walking the dog, cycling home from work, or going for a hike up a mountain. Wildlife-spotting is also a great way to keep children occupied on a walk.  Information from anywhere is useful, whether it’s the walk to school, your local wood, or the remote uplands.” 

Later this month the Mammal Society will be giving people the chance to really put the new Mammal Mapper through its paces during its “Big Half Term Hedgehog Watch”. Look out for “Big Half Term Hedgehog Watch” posts on social media and on the Mammal Society website.

The app is free to download and available on android and iOS in app stores now. For more information and download from the Mammal Society website go to https://www.mammal.org.uk/volunteering/mammal-mapper/.

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Notes to editors

For more information/high res images contact:
pr@themammalsociety.org or call 02380 010981.

1. The Mammal Society is a charitable organisation working at the interface of science, policy making and practice. As the only society with an interest in all British mammals, its mission is to provide the scientific evidence-base for effective conservation and management.
2. The Mammal Society has conducted the first review of the Population and Conservation Status of British Mammals for more than 20 years. It will be published by Natural England in June 2018, together with the Red List of Threatened Mammals for Great Britain.
3. Anyone who is interested in mammals, would like to support mammal conservation, access specialist information and benefit from discounted courses, should consider joining the Mammal Society today. Visit mammal.org.uk.
4. The Mammal Society, 18 St John’s Church Road, London E9 6EJ. Registered Company Number 1455136 Charity Number 278918.
5. The Mammal Mapper was developed by Natural Apptitude.
6. Submitted records are sent to submitted to Coreo – a dedicated platform for collecting citizen science data. Records will be verified by experts in UK mammals and the data used to further conservation.

Almost one in five of British mammal species face a high risk of extinction, according to the first comprehensive review of their populations for more than 20 years launched today by The Mammal Society and Natural England.

The red squirrel, wildcat and the grey long-eared bat are all listed as facing severe threats to their survival.

The review – commissioned by Natural England working in partnership with Scottish Natural Heritage and Natural Resources Wales – also found other mammals such as the hedgehog and water vole have seen their populations decline by up to 66% over the past 20 years.

Climate change, loss of habitat, use of pesticides and road deaths are all putting pressure on some of the best loved and most recognisable of Britain’s 58 terrestrial mammals, whose current status, historical and recent population trends, threats, and future prospects have all been assessed in the review. The work will prioritise conservation actions and also sets an agenda for future research efforts.

Prof Fiona Mathews, Mammal Society Chair and professor of Environmental Biology at the University of Sussex, said:

“This is happening on our own doorstep so it falls upon all of us to try and do what we can to ensure that our threatened species do not go the way of the lynx, wolf and elk and disappear from our shores forever.”

The Mammal Society is now calling for more research to be carried out urgently to get a clearer and more accurate picture of Britain’s mammal populations. For many species, including common animals such as rabbits and moles, very little information is available.

Last month, the Society launched a Mammal Mapper app so that any nature lover could record sightings of local mammals using just their smartphone.

Prof Mathews, lead author of the Review of the Population and Conservation Status of British Mammals, said:

“The report highlights an urgent requirement for more research to assess population densities in key habitats because at present, uncertainty levels are unacceptably high. It is possible that declines in many species are being overlooked because a lack of robust evidence precludes assessment. There is also an urgent need to quantify precisely the scale of declines in species such as the hedgehog, rabbit, water vole and grey long-eared bat. Effective and evidence-based strategies for mammal conservation and management must be developed before it is too late.”

The report does highlight that some British mammal populations are in more robust health. Five species have increased in numbers in 20 years, and 18 species have increased their geographical range. The otter, polecat, beaver, wild boar are all now found in more locations than they were 20 years ago although it is also notable that many of the ‘success stories’ are species recently introduced to Great Britain, such as the grey squirrel and muntjac deer.

Surprisingly given their importance to both humans and wildlife, there is very little information on species such as brown rats and house mice: their population estimates are around 7 million, and 5 million respectively, but could in reality be much higher or lower.

Natural England Senior Specialist for Mammals, Katherine Walsh, who coordinated the project, said:

“This project has significantly improved our understanding of the current status of terrestrial mammals known to breed in Great Britain, which is essential to underpin our efforts to protect them and their habitats. Natural England has been leading the way in efforts to recover these vulnerable species, notably through the ‘Back from the Brink’ project which aims to support the recovery of mammals and other species through habitat improvements across England.”

Natural England have been leading the way in efforts to protect these vulnerable species, they have been working in partnership with a number of expert conservation organisations on the Back from the Brink project which aims to bring more than 20 species back from the brink of extinction. This project will benefit hundreds of species, improving habitats and helping to secure the natural recovery of mammals in Great Britain.

Liz Halliwell, Mammal Ecologist for Natural Resources Wales said:

“The project has given us a better understanding of  the status of many of the mammals in Wales. It has underlined the importance of having good data for all our mammal species, including some of our most common and widespread. Given the varying patterns of distribution across Britain, understanding area population trends is important.”

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Notes to Editor:

A Review of the Population and Conservation status of British Mammals: a technical summary has been compiled by staff working at the Mammal Society, the University of Sussex, Queen Mary University of London, NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, and the University of Exeter. The technical summary is available to download here https://www.mammal.org.uk/science-research/mammal-review-2018-technical-summary/.

Britain’s Mammals 2018: The Mammal Society’s Guide to their Population and Conservation Status’, summarises the key findings from the Review and also the new Red Lists for British mammals. Britain’s Mammals 2018 is available to purchase online at NHBS https://www.nhbs.com/britains-mammals-2018-book.

Natural England works for people, places and nature to conserve and enhance biodiversity, landscapes and wildlife in rural, urban, coastal and marine areas. They conserve and enhance the natural environment for its intrinsic value, the wellbeing and enjoyment of people, and the economic prosperity it brings. www.naturalengland.org.uk.

The Mammal Society is a charitable organisation working at the interface of science, policy making and practice. As the only society with an interest in all British mammals, its mission is to provide the scientific evidence-base for effective conservation and management. 
To find out more about ways you can support the Mammal Society go to https://www.mammal.org.uk/volunteering/ways-to-support-us/.

Back from the Brink is one of the most ambitious conservation projects ever undertaken. Through 19 projects delivered across England – including projects focusing on Pine Martens and Grey Long-eared Bats – 20 UK species facing extinction will be brought back from the brink thanks to a £4.6 million grant from the National Lottery. The project is the first nationwide coordinated effort to bring a wide range of leading charities and conservation bodies together to save threatened species.  Natural England, the government’s wildlife advisory body, will work in partnership with Amphibian and Reptile Trust, Bat Conservation Trust, Buglife, Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Butterfly Conservation, Plantlife and the RSPB. Together they will pool expertise, develop new ways of working and inspire people across the country to discover, value and act for threatened animals, plants and fungi.

Scottish Natural Heritage is the government’s adviser on all aspects of nature and landscape across Scotland. Our role is to help people understand, value and enjoy Scotland’s nature now and in the future. For more information, visit our website at www.nature.scot or follow is on twitter at http://twitter.com/nature

Natural Resources Wales is a Welsh Government Sponsored Body. Its purpose is to ensure that the natural resources of Wales are sustainably maintained, enhanced and used, now and in the future. For more information naturalresources.wales.

Fact file:

Hedgehog – Current estimated population of 522,000 is 66% lower than estimated in the previous comprehensive review in 1995. Hedgehogs are struggling because the insects they prey upon are declining from changes in agricultural practice and pesticide use, human influence through road accidents and loss of nesting habitat. They may also face increased threats from badgers whose population has doubled in the same period to around 562,000.

Red squirrel – There has been marked decline in the distribution of red squirrels since 1995 which has been linked to ever increasing grey squirrel numbers. The invasive species now outnumber the red squirrel 10:1. Disease epidemics, including squirrel pox which is transmitted by grey squirrels, and competition for resources are factors for reducing red numbers as well as an increase in the planting of Sitka spruce trees — native to North America — which are less favourable to red squirrels.

Rabbit – The rabbit is classified as globally threatened, and in Britain its population is likely to have declined by about 9% since 1995, now standing at around 36 million. Other surveys, based on the numbers of animals culled, or  primarily focused on recording bird numbers have recorded larger drops of 24% between 1995 and 2014 and 48% between 1995 and 2012 in Britain respectively. Localised populations can be extremely variable depending on scale of disease outbreaks, particularly of rabbit viral haemorrhagic disease and myxomatosis, and large-scale surveys are needed to understand the status of the British population more clearly. The impact of culling on population size could be waning because of reduced demand for rabbit meat and fur.

Orkney vole — There is an urgent need for more information on this small animal. It was introduced to the Orkneys in Neolithic times, and is now an important part of the local ecosystem, where it is prey for numerous birds of prey including short-eared owls and hen harriers. Not only has the vole suffered from changes to farming practices, but it is now at severe threat from stoats which have introduced to the islands in the last decade.

Water vole – From a 1995 population of more than 1 million, water vole numbers now estimated to be just a tenth of that. Threats from the American mink and changes in land management, including wetland drainage, arable cultivation and watercourse canalisation, are believed to have been largely responsible for their steep decline.

For more information contact pr@themammalsociety.org.

 

New research published today by Oxford University’s Wildcru, in collaboration with Natural England, Mammal Society and PTES reveals that water voles remain at risk from developers.

The water vole, immortalised as ‘Ratty’ in Kenneth Grahams’ Wind in the Willows was formerly a common sight on waterways throughout mainland Britain. However, catastrophic declines due to predation from invasive American mink combined with habitat loss and fragmentation have resulted in the water vole now being considered one of Britain’s most endangered wild mammals. As such, water voles and their burrows are fully protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. Development works affecting the bankside create an additional pressure on remaining populations.  Natural England created a licence to permit intentional disturbance of water voles with the idea of giving the voles a chance to move to safety before developers set to work. The procedure involved removing riverside vegetation, encouraging the voles to relocate, and then to destroy their burrows when they were safely out of harm’s way to prevent the animals’ return once works had commenced.  Such activities, intended to conserve the water voles while enabling approved development, are licensed between mid-February and mid-April and must not exceed 50m of bankside length.

The WildCRU study found that the voles had other ideas. Radio-tracking water voles subjected to this procedure found that they often steadfastly stayed put. These findings, published today https://www.conservationevidence.com/individual-study/6852, revealed no overall movement of water voles out of areas where displacement works had occurred. On the contrary, many voles remained faithful to their burrows.  The guidelines had always insisted that destruction of burrows should be undertaken cautiously, and only during spring, in the hope of saving the lives of any water voles remaining. However, that was in the expectation that at most only a few bankside denizens would stubbornly refuse to shift. Now it seems the majority stand firm, shifting the balance of risks. This behaviour does not alter between spring and autumn, when vole populations are at their highest, and may be a function of the small area of vegetation being removed, so allowing the voles to remain within their original home range.

The solution, while labour intensive, is imperative to protect water vole populations, say the researchers. It involves careful excavation of burrows exposed by vegetation removed by hand, and moving the water voles to adjacent habitat before the development works begin.  With this vole-sensitive and life-saving approach, the researchers believe the displacement method can be a pragmatic and proportionate solution for small-scale developments where water voles are present.

Dr Merryl Gelling of the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) at Oxford University, was lead researcher for this study. “Water voles often remained in their burrows after vegetation removal occurred, highlighting the need for burrow excavation to proceed with caution to allow animals to relocate prior to development works starting.  There was no difference in behaviour in either spring or autumn, suggesting that works under this licence could occur outside of the current mid-February to mid-April window, potentially reducing costly delays for development works. We are continuing to investigate the displacement technique with Natural England to better understand the implications for water vole populations.”

Professor David Macdonald, Director of WildCRU and co-author of the research, said: “While we might hope Toad is safe in Toad Hall, Ratty has been in peril, but our research offers a simple, practical solution. It’s a particular pleasure that WildCRU’s researchers have worked with government’s statutory agency, Natural England, to solve this practical problem, along with leading wildlife charities – a splendid example of all pulling together, and now we expect developers to follow suit.”

Professor Fiona Mathews, Chair of the Mammal Society says “We highlighted the urgent need for information on strategies intended to move water voles in our recent Water Vole Mitigation Guidelines.  This research provides the evidence that removing vegetation — at least over distance of 50m or less — is not effective in moving water voles out of the way of development.”

Nida Al-Fulaij, Grants Manager at PTES, confirms, “We are worried about the state of our national water vole population. Huge efforts are being made to reverse the catastrophic decline of this iconic creature across the country. We welcome the results of this study which will help us provide better advice and manage our remaining populations to prevent any further decline.”

Katherine Walsh, Senior Mammal Specialist at Natural England added “Natural England is pleased to work with our partners to support proactive solutions for improving water vole conservation.”

The research was carried out in the Upper Thames region and predominantly funded by a partnership between Natural England, Peoples’ Trust for Endangered Species, Mammal Society, Universities Federation for Animal Welfare, and Thames Water, with additional support from M&H Ecology Ltd, RSK Ltd, Arcadis, ERM Ltd, Ecosulis and the Environment Agency.

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Notes to Editors

About WildCRU 
David Macdonald founded the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) in 1986 at the University of Oxford. Now the foremost University-based centre for biodiversity conservation, the mission of the WildCRU is to achieve practical solutions to conservation problems through original research. WildCRU is particularly renowned for its work with wild carnivores, especially wild cats, including its long-running studies on lion and clouded leopard. Its training centre for early-career conservationists, so far from 32 countries, produces experts and future leaders in global conservation. Visit wildcru.org

About Natural England

Natural England works for people, places and nature to conserve and enhance biodiversity, landscapes and wildlife in rural, urban, coastal and marine areas. They conserve and enhance the natural environment for its intrinsic value, the wellbeing and enjoyment of people, and the economic prosperity it brings. www.naturalengland.org.uk

About the Mammal Society

The Mammal Society is a charitable organisation working at the interface of science, policy making and practice. As the only society with an interest in all British mammals, its mission is to provide the scientific evidence-base for effective conservation and management. Its Water Vole Mitigation Handbook provides guidance for industry, ecologists and decision-makers on how to protect water voles during development. The Mammal Society has conducted the first review of the Population and Conservation Status of British Mammals for more than 20 years. It will be published by Natural England in June 2018, together with the Red List of Threatened Mammals for Great Britain. Anyone who is interested in mammals, would like to support mammal conservation, access specialist information and benefit from discounted courses, should consider joining the Mammal Society today. Visit www.mammal.org.uk.

About Peoples Trust for Endangered Species

PTES, a UK conservation charity created in 1977, is ensuring a future for endangered species throughout the world. We protect some of our most threatened wildlife species and habitats, and provide practical conservation support through research, grant-aid, educational programmes, wildlife surveys, publications and public events. Our current priority species and habitats include hazel dormice, hedgehogs, water voles, noble chafers, stag beetles, traditional orchards, native woodlands and wood pasture and parkland. Visit www.ptes.org.

All images ©Andrew Harrington