Welcome to the twenty-second 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.
If you are new to these snippets and want to know more about the project, check out this blog.
Orkney Native Wildlife Project
The period of community consultation events has now come to an end, with visits to mainland and the linked isles, but also most of the outer isles being held successfully
Unfortunately we didn’t make it out to our final event on Graemsay last Friday due to boat cancellations, but we will make sure we do head out on the next available evening, with comments received from the island so far still feeding into the consultation.
We would like to say a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who made the effort to come along to these events and talk to us, share their views and give us additional suggestions as part of this process. We will be summarising this all in our report and using all the feedback to direct our work so it will benefit the community as much as possible.
The deadline for the paper questionnaires has now ended, and we are in the process of collecting in all the completed ones to analyse. If you haven’t handed yours in yet please do get them to us as soon as possible to ensure your views are included in the report! Send them to the SNH office in Kirkwall. There is still 4 DAYS before the deadline for the online version of the survey which is 25th Feb. You can find it at www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ONWP.
Also if you have any further thoughts on the citizen science plans or if you are a teacher in Orkney and want to be consulted about the school sessions, please get in touch by emailing amy.king@snh.org.uk.
The initial trapping trial is now completed, and results are still being looked at along with the footage from the Goodnature traps. Remember, if you have any questions and the trapping trial or any other aspects of the project, you can contact us on the email addresses below. 32 stoats have been caught in the trapping trial to date over a 10 week period of trapping.
Orkney Mainland Predator Invasion Biosecurity Project
No stoats were caught in the last round of biosecurity checks.
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: No stoats or stoat signs have been picked up in traps or on camera footage this week. This does not mean no stoats are present as they are incredibly difficult to detect when the population is very low.
Please remember, if anyone thinks they have seen a stoat on Hoy or South Walls please 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.
And remember, to keep up-to-date with the project, please follow our Facebook page.