Dormouse spotted in Lancashire – the first for 25 years

A very unusual discovery

May 2011: A dormouse has been discovered in Lancashire - the first time the creatures has been spotted in the county for 25 years.

LANCASHIRE RESIDENT: The dormouse found at  a remote farm

It was found at a remote farm in Lancashire, where it was snoozing in its nest, concealed among plastic bags, on a farm in Preesall, near Garstang. It had been thought there were no dormice left in the county, so now the Lancashire Wildlife Trust is keen to discover whether the Preesall mouse is a resident, or if it just hitched a ride from elsewhere.

Since the discovery, a nearby farm has also reported seeing dormice, raising hopes that a small population may survive in the county.

The dormouse was still in hibernation when it was found, and Trust volunteer Bob Danson was called in. He said: ‘The dormouse was found in its nest in plastic bags, at the farm in Preesall. It was still in hibernation so the lady who found it took it home and put it in a warm place.

May have been 'delivered' with a load of potatoes
‘I was asked to pick it up and verify it was a dormouse. To my knowledge there are no recordings of dormice locally. It is possible this came to the farm with one of many deliveries of potatoes, pheasants or fertiliser.'

Dr Tim Graham, Lancashire Biodiversity Manager for the trust, said: ‘This is a very unusual discovery and we would love to find out whether there might be a small population in the area. Hopefully people will contact the Lancashire Mammal Group at mammals@lwt.org.uk with some sightings and we'll try to organise a survey of the area later in the year.'

Sadly, UK populations have shrunk as mixed woodland of oak, hazel, sweet chestnut and other food-bearing plants have been cleared for agriculture and development. Badly managed hedgerows, loss of traditionally managed coppices and the spread of coniferous plantations have also damaged the prospects for dormice in Britain.

STUDY: The reintroduction project in Cheshire is giving a unique insight into dormouse behaviour

More sightings since
One of their last outposts in the far north of Lancashire was in Silverdale, where confirmed sightings were last reported in the early 1980s. Reserves Officer for North Lancashire, Steve Ryder said: ‘The last recorded sightings were over 25 years ago, although there have been some possible unconfirmed reports since then. I've done some dormice surveys before and hopefully we will get out onto our reserve on Warton Crag with some volunteers and other conservation bodies this autumn and do a 'nut hunt'.

‘Once we've got an idea of where they are, we can start to look at linking up the habitats or possible reintroduction. There's plenty of mixed woodland around here so it could be ideal habitat for dormice.

'The dormouse is now being cared for by Sarah Bird, Chester Zoo's biodiversity officer, who holds a special licence from Natural England to look after the animals. 

Cheshire has installed 250 nesting boxes
Dormice were brought back to woodlands in Cheshire in 1996. Since then the population has done well enough for conservation work to be carried out to help them spread from their woodland strongholds to new habitats.

Their introduction to the woodland was supported by the installation of more than 250 nesting boxes specially designed for use by dormice, to complement other natural nesting opportunities provided by trees and brambles. These same boxes allow researchers to locate the dormice easily while minimising disturbance to their lifecycle, giving a unique insight into the elusive creatures' behaviour.

The new study, which is funded by Chester Zoo and the People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES), is enabling researchers to discover more about endearing mammal which spends almost three-quarters of its life asleep.

The study will also be the first of its kind undertaken on a reintroduced population of dormice and includes the use of microchip technology. It will review what has happened in the past 15 years at the Cheshire release site and shed light on how the dormouse can be better protected for the future, including how it may be able to expand the range of its fragile population in the county.

Attempts have also been made to reintroduce dormice to Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire.