Wildlife of the Area

Animal Species visiting include:

Sort by:    Common Name       Latin Name
Badger   (Meles meles)
	Resident	There is one main sett about 100 metres away and the badgers visit regularly. Signs of them digging in grass can be seen everywhere. Very rarely seen in daylight.
	Breeding.
Brown Rat   (Rattus norvegicus)
	Resident	Most people seem to be repulsed by Rats, but they are intelligent sociable animals. Having said that, they are a major pest and can cause considerable damage by gnawing. There is not a large number but can be seen on roadside verges.
	Breeding.
Common Frog   (Rana temporaria)
	Resident	Most often seen at breeding time or when the young start to move out from their hatching place, but even as adults never move far from water or marshy spots.
	Breeding.
Common Toad   (Bufo bufo)
	Resident	Most assume that the Toad lives in or near water, but they are regularly found in cropped fields several hundred metres from water. Several have been observed but breeding spot is not known,
	Breeding.
Common Vole   (Microtus arvalis)
	Resident	I think there are even more voles present than previously thought. Lifting a fallen branch which has lain for a while invariably shows "vole tracks". The unmown tussocky grass is an ideal habitat. Major predator would appear to be Barn Owls.
	Breeding.
Fox   (Vulpes vulpes)
	Resident	The fox is always present but there does not appear to be large population. Sightings are rare both in daylight and darkness.
	Breeding.
Hare   (Lepus europaeus)
	Resident	Assessing the number of hares is difficult as most of the year it is very easy to walk past one in a "form" a couple of metres away. In spring groups of 4 or 6 can be seen doing the "mad march hare" acrobatics.
	Breeding.
Harvest Mouse   (Micromys minutus)
	Resident	Harvest Mice have not been spotted here (yet) and anecdotally have never been common.
	Breeding.
Hedgehog   (Erinaceus europaeus)
	Resident	Hedgehogs have been seen especially at twilight, but are not common. A couple of hibernacula have been constructed, but no takers yet.
	Breeding.
House Mouse   (Mus musculus)
	Resident	Named the House Mouse because it will tolerate proximinty to man, it lives all over the farm and reaches pest numbers through winter when they continue to breed if food is available.
	Breeding.
Long Tailed Field Mouse   (Apodemus sylvaticus)
	Resident	A shy, difficult to spot mouse which lives in hedgerows, scrub or woodland. (Sometimes called Wood Mouse) None have been observed locally.
	Breeding.
Mink   (Neovison vison)
	Resident	Very rarely seen now; it would appear that large scale trapping by the salmon fishing industry has them under control. Occasionally called 'American Mink', possibly to imply it's non-native staus.
	Not Breeding.
Mole   (Talpa europaea)
	Resident	There are a few active moles both here and in neighbouring undisturbed arable fields. In summer they can be found foraging on the surface at twilight.
	Breeding.
Otter   (Lutra lutra)
	Resident	There are probably more than estimated. Very few people have the patience to sit quietly on a riverbank and wait.
	Breeding.
Pine Marten   (Martes martes)
	Resident	Although described as elusive by many, there are quite few pairs nearby. They started to visit the buildings so peanuts, sunflower hearts, nuts, mice and the occasional egg are provided. Their antics are observed via a camera.
	Breeding.
Pipistrelle Bat   (Pipistrellus pipistrellus)
	Resident	There is a least one roost in a traditional building, as they seem to spend a large part of the year in hibernation or semi-hibernation although very active on warm evenings.
	Breeding.
Pygmy Shrew   (Sorex minutus)
	Resident	Very rarely seen but their high pitched squeaks can regularly be heard emanating from a hedge bottom or tussock of grass. Apparently most of this noise is fighting as they are very territorial. Numbers uncertain, but Owl casts contain remains, indicating a decentpopulation.
	Breeding.
Rabbit   (Oryctolagus cuniculus))
	Resident	Surprisingly low populations, which probably indicates a good predator balance.
	Breeding.
Roe deer   (Capreolus capreolus)
	Resident	Although they are classed as crepuscular, they are frequently seen in broad daylight, grazing. The "nests" where females give birth can often be found in the bottom of hedges with a lot of vegetation growing nearby. A real pest to young trees.
	Breeding.
Stoat   (Mustela erminea)
	Resident	During the day a Stoat may be seen hunting along hedge bottoms and is frequently unaware of human presence until close. More often seen as a quick dash a cross a roadway.
	Breeding.
Water Vole   (Arvicola amphibius)
	Resident	Patience is required to see one one these voles emerge from vegetation. It is more likely to be a splash as one is disturbed when walking near a stream. There are signs of a good population on the streams with Irises and Rushes along the margins.
	Breeding.
Weasel   (Mustela nivalis)
	Resident	Very similar to a Stoat but smaller in size and never white in winter. Their habit of preying on nests of ground nesting birds makes them unpopular in some regions, but if there is sufficient food from other sources, I do not think this is a problem.
	Breeding.