Welcome to the seventeenth 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.
Orkney Native Wildlife Project
The consultation event on Hoy last week was excellent with lots of folk popping by to say hi and lots of children enjoying the kid’s activities (photos below). We sadly had to change our plans last minute due to the weather, but we hope to get back out to deliver the talk that we had to miss.
We also had an excellent day at the Farmer’s Mart on Monday and we’re planning to go back in February. Unfortunately, because of the weather, we didn’t make it to Stronsay on Tuesday but the team are there today.
There are plenty more events planned in January and February with the next ones on the Mainland and linked isles. We would encourage folk to come along and take part.
Upcoming events:
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 your say about the project through the community consultation questionnaire, you can find it at www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ONWP or as a paper version at various locations around Orkney.
Yesterday, we were at Kirkwall Grammar School trialing some educational sessions for secondary schools (photo below). We chose to go to KGS because a stoat was reported from the school last school term. The day was a success and we are hoping that we can put some good lessons and projects together for various schools to get involved in, if they are interested.
We want to consult with as many teachers in Orkney as possible about this programme, so if you have not yet heard from us, or wish to discuss potential lessons in future, do please get in touch with us on amy.king@snh.org.uk
The trapping trial is continuing and will continue for the next five weeks. As part of the trial, we are now putting out a different type of trap called a Goodnature trap in the Brodgar area which is another stoat hotspot. These traps will have trail cameras on to look at whether stoats show interest in them but as they are currently not legal for use on stoats in Scotland, they are not functional traps and will not be live. These traps are legal to use in England and Wales and as we expect that they will be added to the Scottish Spring Trap Approval Order this year, so we wanted to include them in the trapping trial to gauge their effectiveness in Orkney.
The Goodnature traps look very different to the DOC traps (picture here). They also work differently. When active the Goodnature A24 trap uses a CO2-powered piston to strike the skull of a stoat killing it instantly. It then resets itself and can deliver 24 piston strikes using one canister of CO2.
A Goodnature trap in action in New Zealand. Image by: Annie Dick via wikipedia
Remember, if you have any questions and the trapping trial or any other aspects of the project, you can pop along to one of the consultation events or contact us on the email addresses below.
Orkney Mainland Predator Invasion Biosecurity Project
The January checks are continuing.
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 are continuing the work on Hoy to try to determine whether more than the one confirmed stoat is present on Hoy and how widespread they are. The team are continuing to expand the monitoring area with extra cameras including some in open moorland areas. When putting these moorland cameras out, we’ve been careful to avoid a few areas where the white-tailed eagles are often seen as they should soon start to display ahead of the breeding season. So far, there has still been no signs of stoats, but we would encourage anyone who thinks they’ve seen a stoat on Hoy to report it immediately by phone or email.
In fact, if you live on any of the islands, and think you have seen a stoat, it is essential that you contact us as soon as you can by calling 01856 886163, by emailing north@snh.gov.uk or through the ‘Stoats in Orkney’ Facebook page.
Answering your concerns…
Remember, if you have any comments or concerns please contact north@snh.gov.uk or orkney@rspb.org.uk.
And, once again, don't forget to keep reporting any sightings of stoats, including those in winter coats, 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.