Innovative mammal conservation
In January 1992, I made my first venture into the old states of eastern Europe with a bat visit to Poland. Over the previous three years, the communist bloc had started to break up, travel restrictions eased and opportunities were opened up to visit colleagues beyond what had been the Iron Curtain. I hadn’t been Read More
12th February 2019
I volunteer with the Vincent Wildlife Trust in their current project which assesses the effectiveness of Mostela camera traps for monitoring Stoats and Weasels in the UK. This part of the project is taking place on a Yorkshire Wildlife Trust (YWT) nature reserve in East Yorkshire called North Cave Wetlands. Prior to volunteering with VWT I Read More
11th December 2018
I’m currently in my final year at Newcastle University studying Countryside Management. This is a practical and hands on course which offers a career development module, aimed at gaining experience to benefit future career aspirations. Choosing this module allowed me to work with the Vincent Wildlife Trust’s Pine Marten Project Officer, Kevin O’Hara. The Back Read More
3rd September 2018
I was delighted last year to learn that the 8th International Colloquium on squirrels, an international gathering of squirrel researchers from around the world, would take place on my doorstep at the beginning of June 2018. OK, I admit I exaggerate just a little. I live 22km north of Galway city and the venue for the Read More
30th July 2018
Music is often seen as a cross-cultural connector, a vessel that has little need for the spoken word though still has the uncanny ability through melodic symphony to invite us along for the journey and let us enjoy the ride. The magic of music need not cease at the human race. Nature too has its Read More
19th July 2018
‘Wales’ rarest mammal is back’ is what is now proudly portrayed on the wall of our brand-new Pine Marten Den, and I don’t think I was the only member of the Pine Marten Recovery Project team who felt a little teary reading it. It’s been a long and stressful three years, interspaced with the most amazing Read More
11th June 2018
The Back from the Brink Pine Marten Project is the first time we have volunteered with The Vincent Wildlife Trust (which we thoroughly enjoy). We were introduced to the many aspects of this species and project when we saw it advertised in the local press and social media. We knew Kevin O’Hara (VWT’s Back from Read More
4th June 2018
The small mustelids (weasels and stoats) are among our hardest mammal species to study. Monitoring them has proved challenging as they do not leave easily visible field signs and are generally elusive and rarely seen. Without robust and reliable monitoring methods, it is almost impossible to collect any data on weasels and stoats. They have Read More
21st May 2018
What kind of professional journey has led you to where you are today? Lucy: I have worked in both conservation science and conservation delivery and have always been interested in mammal ecology and conservation. I did a PhD at the University of Aberdeen in small mammal ecology on set-aside agricultural land, before working for the Read More
27th April 2018
I started camera trapping about five years ago for my own enjoyment to look for polecats on the Mawddach Estuary. A few years later, I started volunteering for the Mammals in a Sustainable Environment project, where we were monitoring hair tubes and camera traps at Cwm Mynach to look for red squirrels. Cwm Mynach has Read More
11th April 2018
