If you go down to the woods today … you’re unlikely to find a teddy bear’s picnic, but you might just spot a dormouse! Many of our native species are becoming scarcer, and one that has been particularly affected is the dormouse. However, Devon’s woods and hedgerows provide the ideal habitat for this species and they can be found in over a hundred different sites throughout the county. In particular, the wooded valleys of north and east Dartmoor provide an important refuge for this adorable little creature, and conservationists are working to manage the landscape in these areas in order to reduce the decline in numbers.
The area surrounding Skaigh Woods, behind Finch Foundry, is a haven for dormice and much work has been done in recent years to help protect them. If you go for a walk along the river, you might see what look like back-to-front birdboxes. In fact, these are nest boxes for dormice and around 50 of them have now been placed in the area by local conservationists in an effort to provide hibernation and nesting sites. Research with radio-tracking devices has shown that the dormouse population in this area is quite adventurous, with one individual finding a way to cross the river, probably via overhanging branches in the tree canopy. The dormice of the Skaigh valley even featured in the BBC programme Hugh’s Wild West, when presenter Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall joined local experts to track down these reclusive creatures.
While you might spot a nest box, catching a glimpse of these mostly nocturnal creatures is much more difficult. If you’re particularly lucky, you might find a hibernating dormouse in early spring, curled up in its nest of grass and leaves. The nests are fairly distinctive, although they are often covered with a layer of leaves or other green vegetation, which can make them hard to spot. The nests are woven together, often containing grass, leaves and stripped honeysuckle bark – if you find a nest containing the latter, you can be fairly sure it was made by a dormouse.
Your best chance of seeing one is during an organised nest box check at a known site, under the supervision of a licenced guide – dormice are strictly protected and it is illegal to handle one without the appropriate licence. Even if you don’t actually see a dormouse, you might see signs that they are present in the area, most commonly in the form of nibbled nuts and other food items. Hazel nuts and blackthorn stones are opened in a very distinctive way: the gnaw marks follow the circumference of the nut, almost as if it has been opened with a screw top lid, and the hole is smooth to the touch.
There are around 20 sites in Devon that take part in the Dormouse National Monitoring Programme of nest boxes, which takes place monthly between April and November. In addition, a footprint survey, overseen by a researcher at University College, London, is being conducted at Fingle Woods, near to Tedburn St Mary, with the aim of monitoring the dormouse population in relation to habitat restoration work over a prolonged time period. Nut hunts are carried out in a further 120 places on an occasional basis, with the aim of confirming existing populations and identifying new sites where dormice are thriving.
