Dormouse Nut Survey

This morning, we went on the search for signs of the endangered hazel dormouse, at a new site north of Truro. When searching for dormice, a standard survey is to search each are around a fruiting hazel tree for chewed hazelnuts for twenty minutes. The way in which a nut has been opened varies depending on which species opened it, see the images below:

From left to right: the first is a bank vole, the center; a hazel dormouse (photo credits to Jen Blousfield), and the right is from a wood mouse.

With the help of a couple of experts, we found evidence of bank voles, a few wood mice, and of course, many grey squirrels, however no dormice! Despite this, the habitat was suitable as it contained plenty of fruiting hazels, honeysuckle, and a couple of yew trees. Although we had no luck today, this site might be worth another look in the future!