Here at FSC Preston Montford whilst the staff and
(hopefully!) students are soundly asleep, our centre wildlife comes alive with
activity.
As part of our species monitoring efforts, we have various
methods to keep track of what’s going on.
Skinner moth trap:
From Spring to Autumn, once a week, our Skinner moth trap is
put out overnight. Its brilliant bright bulb (don’t look directly at it once
it’s fully lit up!) attracts moths in the area. They fall into the trap and
find a nice selection of empty egg boxes to rest in for the remainder of the
night. In the morning, members of our team retrieve the trap and set to work
identifying the catch before releasing them again. The team has become very
skilled at moth ID and can tell a Hebrew Character from a Common Quaker.
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| Common Quaker Moth |
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| Hebrew Character Moth |
Hedgehog tunnel:
This is our most low tech, but possibly my favourite, of our
night time monitoring kit. A toblerone-shaped tunnel is set out overnight. In
the middle of the tunnel is a plate with cat food on it to attract our
favourite spiky creatures. As they enter the tunnel they walk through a strip
of ink (don’t worry it’s non-toxic and biodegradable) which then causes them to
leave a trail of footprints across the paper sheet. In the morning we’re left
with a network of tiny footprints to identify the owners – again a real skill!
Bat detectors:
Bats catch their prey and navigate using a high frequency
sound which they emit as a series of clicks. The sound bounces back to the bat
and they know where things are - echolocation. We can’t normally hear their
noises with our ears as the frequency is too high. However, with the use of a
bat detector, the high frequency sounds can be lowered to our audible range.
Each species of bat is identifiable by the noises that it makes – the frequency
and series of clicks or slaps is unique to each. With a bat detector and a
field guide, you can identify a common pipistrelle from a noctule.
Night vision camera trap:
Our coolest spy-like gadget is our camera trap, which can be
strapped to a tree and left out overnight. Anything that sets off its motion sensor
will get caught on camera and stored on the SD card. If you leave it in a known
wildlife hotspot and point it the right way, you might just get some awesome
shots or video footage of something interesting! Alternatively you can just end
up with awkward shots of yourself and branches
swaying in the wind… Worth the effort to get a badger wandering by, or an otter
along the river.
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| Caught on camera - badger |
Longworth mammal traps:
Our most used monitoring kit and a favourite of visiting
school groups. These humane, small mammal traps are set out under hedges
stocked with hay, various foods and some apple (for the juice). We return the
next morning to check them and usually have a selection of mice and voles to
show the children. Occasionally, the elusive shrew will even put in an
appearance! The creatures are all released promptly and are left well-fed and rested
and unharmed by the experience.
Whilst some of these are not going to be suitable for home
use, a bat detector or a hedgehog tunnel is certainly worth considering for use
in the garden! We definitely enjoy checking in the morning to see what’s been
going on in the night!
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