Welcome to the ninth 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
Our contractors have been door knocking and chatting to landowners to get access permissions for the trapping trials. That is now complete and we would like to say a huge thank you to everyone for their support.
If all goes well with the order for traps, we should be ready to start the trapping trials in the next few weeks.
Orkney Mainland Predator Invasion Biosecurity Project
The fourth check on the traps is now complete with more stoats caught including the first one in Evie.
We have also been changing some of the traps following our discussions with the folk who raised concerns and we will continue to refine the trapping process based on evidence from the trapping trials and feedback from the communities living near traps.
Potential incursion responses
Rousay: Following a report of a stoat at the end of July, we’ve had traps out on Rousay since the start of August. However, no stoats have been caught and there have been no further reports of possible stoat sightings. We have therefore taken these traps in to re-deploy them as part of the trapping trial. We would encourage folk who live or visit Rousay to remain vigilant and get in touch if there is even the slightest suspicion that they have seen a stoat.
Hoy: The traps and monitoring equipment on Hoy have still not detected any stoat presence. No stoats have been caught, there’s been no signs of stoats on the cameras and no further sightings have been reported. Again we would encourage people to stay vigilant and report any possible sightings as soon as possible.
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.