Terrestrial Mammals Archives - Wild Frontier Ecology

Water voles on a County Wildlife Site

January 27, 2020
Project Examples

WFE have had a long involvement with a site in South Norfolk where fishery ponds had been excavated on a County Wildlife Site. As part of the remedial works for restoring fen habitat in the area, a large pond supporting water voles was to be filled in.

Water voles were trapped and relocated away from the construction area

WFE consulted an associate who was experienced in water vole mitigation, and we worked in partnership to provide water vole surveys and a mitigation licence for this work. This required habitat management (scrub removal) across the rest of the site to provide new water vole habitat. Once the licence was obtained the pond was fenced and water voles were caught using suitable trapping equipment. Trapped animals were moved to soft release pens elsewhere on the site. Following a period in which no water voles were caught, a destructive search was undertaken, and one further water vole was removed. Pond infill then took place, with no further water vole casualties.

We have monitored the site post infill, and noted continuity of water vole presence across the site. The infill area is showing signs of returning to good quality fen habitat, with water levels at or around ground level throughout. Managed areas of habitat are being used by water voles.

Badgers at a quarry site

January 27, 2020
Project Examples

A badger paw print in a sandy spoil heap

WFE were commissioned to undertake ecological assessments for proposed quarry extensions at an active quarry site in Norfolk. Part of this project involved surveys and mitigation work for badgers, which had colonised the site due to the creation of favourable habitat.

Badger surveys were carried out in order to identify the extent of active badger setts within the potential zone of influence of the proposed quarry extensions and plan an appropriate mitigation scheme.

Sandy spoil heaps outside the entrance of the active main sett

The surveys identified and monitored badger activity on site, with field signs such as paths, dung pits, footprints, hairs and scratch trees mapped. An active main sett was identified within an area of the quarry scheduled for excavation, meaning that the badgers would need to be relocated to an area away from excavation work.

A badger investigating the artificial sett

An artificial sett was designed and constructed in an area of the site away from planned excavation works but within the badgers’ known range (established through earlier surveys). Badgers were confirmed to have found the artificial sett within a month of construction, where they were picked up on the infra-red motion sensitive cameras deployed. A licence to close the natural sett was obtained from Natural England, and specialist one-way gates and galvanised mesh were used to exclude badgers from the sett.