Welcome to the eighteenth 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 Stronsay on Thursday was a really good event with lots of children attending. We talked mostly about biosecurity and preventing stoats reaching Stronsay as thankfully it is still stoat-free. We are sorry that we had to change the date because of the weather but we really enjoyed meeting all the folk that came along. The team are on Shapinsay today and if you are please pop along to The Boathouse at 8 pm for a public talk.
On Monday, we had an event in St Magret’s Hope and yesterday we were in South Ronaldsay at the last our five events on Mainland and the linked isles. Sadly our mainland events haven’t been attended as well as those on the outer isles. However, if folk are keen to ask questions about the project please get in touch or fill in the questionnaire.
We are looking forward to upcoming events on the outer isles:
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.
We have also been meeting with stakeholder groups about the Citizen Science activities. So far we have spoken to the Raptor Study Group, Ringing Group, BTO representatives and the local records centre. Please email bea.ayling@rspb.org.uk if you want to get involved.
And you can read about the trial education sessions in Stoat Snippet 17. 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 will continue for the next four weeks. The fourth round of checks will be completed this week along with the first round of prey abundance monitoring. 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 of the biosecurity traps are now complete. 18 stoats have been caught so far as part of this important work to try to prevent stoats spreading to other islands. Beef off cuts are now being trialled as bait. The traps will be checked again in February.
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. We have completed six checks and no stoats have been caught or captured on camera. Between Christmas and New Year 33 new traps and 8 new cameras were put out around Hoy and South Walls. Since then we have put a further 16 cameras out. This means there is a total of 38 trail cameras and 66 traps out.
Please can 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.