12 Oct small mammals and young people engaging with wildlife and conservation

A very memorable day – with our monthly workgroup coinciding with a small mammal survey run by Ann from the Yorkshire Farming and Wildlife Partnership, www.farmingandwildlife.net. plus a visit from a Leeds Scout group from Holbeck/Beeston who were camping at nearby Curly Hill. With 16 scouts, 3 leaders, 12 volunteers and another 10 or so mammal survey people it was our biggest day since our official opening. We set up 50 Longworth traps the night before with food and bedding material. We had a pretty good success rate of 40% (TBC) and found the 4 species we were hoping for – woodmouse, common shrew, field vole and bank vole, but not water shrew. The scouts loved it, after lunch we got them to work, tidying up the bird screen hide with a bit of willow weaving and then coppicing some wood for a team task of making a shelter with a tarp before they walked back to Ilkley. They were a great bunch 50/50 girls/ boys of different backgrounds and experiences and easy to supervise – look forward to hosting more groups in the future!