David Beeson, 25th January 2023 Several people locally have asked about badger sets and badger watching, so I today explored one I first saw 40 years ago … it is still modestly active. Grid ref of starting point: SU413 429 – A footpath and start of a part of the Test Way. It is onContinue reading “An Andover Badger Set”
Category Archives: Mammals
Dormouse nests – now is the time to search – December.
David Beeson, December 2022 WHEN? Finding the nests of dormice is difficult. However, December is the very best month as the leaves will have fallen from the shrubs in which they nest, and the flimsy nests will not yet have been destroyed by the winter weather. WHERE? Here, in Northern Hampshire (UK) the dormice areContinue reading “Dormouse nests – now is the time to search – December.”
Our Wildlife Garden in late September
David Beeson We set out to make our 1.25-acre garden wildlife friendly. It was one of the first in the UK to ‘hit the media’ – and that was 30 years ago, and it is 20 years since being on the BBC, The Garden magazine and other major outlets. We feel we were part ofContinue reading “Our Wildlife Garden in late September”
An Ecology Fieldtrip
David Beeson, September 2022 For those of us living in northwest Hampshire we are used to a chalky landscape cut through by clear rivers and streams. The river valleys are lush, alkaline and covered in the remains of C17, C18 and C19 water meadows (see article). So, my ecology group opted to visit South DorsetContinue reading “An Ecology Fieldtrip”
The Deer of Southern England
David Beeson, March 2022 UK deer have antlers that are shed yearly, while sheep & goats have horns that grow and are not shed. Although you are unlikely to need that fact in the field! Deer are Ungulates, having hooves instead of claws and they are in the Cervidae family, being ruminant browsers and soContinue reading “The Deer of Southern England”
Small Mammal Carnivores of the UK – Martens, polecats, stoats and weasels.
David Beeson, March 2022 This article will look at the pine marten, polecat, stoat and weasel. The former pair are very unequally dispersed, while the latter two are mostly found across the British mainland. I have only seen one live, wild marten, and that was in France as it hurtled across a road. Many areContinue reading “Small Mammal Carnivores of the UK – Martens, polecats, stoats and weasels.”
The Mole
David Beeson, March 2022 I could have started with a question: Which mammal is often around us, yet we seldom see? Because it is true. I have moles in the garden, they tunnel through the flowerbeds, under the lawn and, this winter, ploughed up chunks of our wildflower meadows, yet I’ve not seen one inContinue reading “The Mole”
Life in the attic
David Beeson, November 2021 We live in the country with wild creatures all around, so it is inevitable that some will select to live with us. Some are benign, but ticks and fleas are certainly unwelcome. So, what has moved in? Let’s start with the attic – the space between the roof and the ceiling.Continue reading “Life in the attic”
Simply mice on the feeder
David Beeson, 8th October With the wildlife camera back in action, here are a few images and comments. http://www.nwhwildlife.org and scroll down for over 120 ad-free articles. Someone asked the other day, “Who reads the articles?” The answer is not what I expected when it was set up: few locally, but about 60% are inContinue reading “Simply mice on the feeder”
Small mammals on the night camera
David Beeson, late July 2021 My Apeman Wildlife camera has again been pointed at a peanut feeder just alongside our garage. This is adjacent to where I found two (rare) UK dormouse nests in November last year, and then recorded a pair on this feeder. Since that time brown rats found the feeder and startedContinue reading “Small mammals on the night camera”
Feeling sleepy? How about being awake for only a few weeks each year … and it is a European mammal!
Adverse conditions David Beeson, January 2021 The weather changes in the UK from day to day and with the seasons. With the Earth at a moving orientation to the Sun throughout the year, the input of energy in a particular spot changes. In the UK winter, the constant energy output from our Sun is spreadContinue reading “Feeling sleepy? How about being awake for only a few weeks each year … and it is a European mammal!”
Wildlife Encounters
Encounters David Beeson, 15 /12 /20 It was in my early days of wildlife watching and I had a brand-new telephoto-lens. And I needed mammal photographs for a lecture course I was about to teach. So, I drove out to a stream just outside Salisbury – near Odstock, where watervoles had been spotted. Now, myContinue reading “Wildlife Encounters”
Dormice
David Beeson 4th November Muscardinus avellanarius As I have mentioned before, dormice are declining and generally rare or uncommon in the UK. They are southern in distribution and have been one of the mammals I look out for more than most. Less than a month ago I found what I thought were dormouse nests inContinue reading “Dormice”
A Brilliant Day!!!
Dormice David Beeson Hazel dormice are not common in the UK, but they are slowly being reintroduced, with some success. My area is a comparative ‘hot spot’ for the species and I have found live animals and nests in the past. The nearest nests have been within 1Km, but species-specific nest boxes and searching forContinue reading “A Brilliant Day!!!”
New tick-carried diseases in UK
Mammal Mapping and Badgers
Mammal mapper David Beeson When I’m out and about I record the mammals that occur in the area. Now, mammals are notoriously difficult to see. Plants are everywhere, butterflies sometimes in their hundreds and aphids coat the garden’s roses … but mammals hide away. But, if we all keep our eyes open you’ll be surprisedContinue reading “Mammal Mapping and Badgers”
Mammals
The mammals of local woodlands. David Beeson Although the British Isles has comparatively little mature native woodland, around Andover we have more than our fair share with Harewood, Coldridge and Collingbourne (near Ludgershall), the woodlands around Chute, the Doles Wood complex, Faccombe, Oakhill Wood near Vernham Dean and several other smaller woodlands scattered around. WithContinue reading “Mammals”
Wildlife and Ecology, the Wildlife Encyclopaedia 