A hunt for mammals at Filey Dams

My UK mammal list is still pretty thin so I welcomed the chance of visiting Filey Dams in mid August 2008 to witness a small mammal trapping session. Set up by the Yorkshire Mammal Society, the event was very well organised and produced some interesting but rarely seen species.

 

I was surprised how many of the traps contained a creature, especially considering that I never seem to catch anything in my own traps. Wood Mice (below right) made up the vast majority of the captives, followed by Bank Voles (below left). A single Common Shrew was a nice find on a particularly wet area of the reserve and was the first time I had seen this mammal close up. Normally I am unable to differentiate between the two smaller shrew species as sightings are brief.



All these mammals were great, but what I secretly hoped for was a Water Shrew. Several months earlier I had made the long journey to Fishpond Plantation in South Yorkshire and spent countless hours staking out the canal for this elusive mammal. I saw Bank Vole, Palmate Newt and a couple of Stoats but no shrews.* I also became on first name terms with half the gay men in Yorkshire, as fishpond Plantation seems to be the favourite haunt of men seeking men. After several more visits I gave up.



I had just given up hope of us catching a Water Shrew at Filey Dams, when a particularly big animal was trapped in the bottom of a dry hedge of all places. Closer examination revealed a stunning Water Shrew (above) which preformed admirably to us by swimming around in a bucket of water.

In all it was a very productive morning and one I will look forward to repeating in the future.

*While Fishpond Plantation was once almost guaranteed to produce Water Shrew, it seems the spread of American Mink into the area has resulted in the drastic decline both of the shrew and the Water Vole.