Welcome to the thirteenth weekly stoat snippet!
These snippets will be a short update on progress with both the Orkney Native Wildlife Project and the Orkney Mainland Predator Invasion Biosecurity Project, as well as addressing any concerns that folk have raised with SNH and RSPB Scotland.
Winter is here!
The change in season, and the increasingly wintery weather, brings about an interesting change in stoats. Some individuals change their coat colour during the winter months, from the usual chestnut brown to pure white, or brown with white patches. However, the black tip to their tail always remains. This white winter fur is called ermine and you may spot stoats in their ermine coats while out and about over the next couple of months. We’ve already had a few reported.
As ever, please report any stoats you may spot to via north@snh.gov.uk, or through the ‘Stoats in Orkney’ Facebook page.
Orkney Native Wildlife Project
This week we held two of our community consultation events. Many thanks to everyone who attended our consultation drop-in with kids activities at The Old School in Quoyloo on Tuesday.
We also manned a stall at the Orkney Auction Mart in Hatston on Monday in order to chat with farmers and landowners. Thanks to everyone who came to say hello and ask about the project, and those who kindly completed the community consultation questionnaire.
To keep up-to-date with upcoming community consultation events, please take a look at our Facebook page or future blogs. For more information about these events, phone 01856 875302 or 01856 850176 or email north@snh.gov.uk or orkney@rspb.org.uk.
And if you haven’t already had the chance to do so, we’d be very grateful if you could fill out our community consultation questionnaire which is available online at www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ONWP or as a paper version which can be found at various locations around Orkney.
Orkney Mainland Predator Invasion Biosecurity Project
The traps are being checked this week, so we will have an update on progress in next week’s Stoat Snippet.
Potential incursion responses
Rousay: We would ask folk who live or visit Rousay to remember to get in touch if there is even the slightest suspicion that they have seen a stoat.
Hoy: We completed our third round of trap checks on Wednesday, and found two rats but no stoats. The camera trap footage is currently being checked for any sign of stoats. Two RSPB Scotland staff will be on Hoy full-time over the next few weeks in order to put out more traps and cameras. This is essential to help us determine whether more than the one confirmed stoat is present on Hoy and how widespread they are.
As ever, please could anyone living or visiting Hoy keep their eyes out for any possible stoat activity, and let us know immediately if you see anything suspicious.
Answering your concerns…
Remember, if you have any comments or concerns please contact north@snh.gov.uk or orkney@rspb.org.uk.
And don't forget to keep reporting any sightings of stoats, whether on the mainland or outer isles, as soon as possible, to SNH by calling 01856 886163, by emailing north@snh.gov.uk or through the ‘Stoats in Orkney’ Facebook page.