The Decline in Numbers, of British Mammals.

[dennishasdoneit]

If you live near open water then your chances of seeing mammals are much higher, last year I caught a glimpse of a rat type thing so quick not sure what it was.

When we lived up in Rossendale we used to see foxes and in our back garden and up an oak tree a song thrush. Even heard a cuckoo.

Last year hardly any greenfly on the roses or daddy long legs, moths and only one white cabbage fly, house flies and spiders all in short supply. I thought it was the weather it never stopped raining and this year has carried on much the same. A lack of insects will affect the bird population eventually.


A lovely picture of five barn owls born on the Spencer estate

The rat type animal you mention was probably a Vole, they tend to move at blinding speed out in the open due to having so many different predators ..

I agree the lack of insects will have an effect on the bird population, and in my opinion has already done so.

The Barn owl pics are fantastic .

 

[dennishasdoneit]

I was meaning more it was the cause of the demise of the U.K. red squirrel.

The times they are a changing ..; )

 

[Fat Chance]

 

[dennishasdoneit]

Stunning.

 

[shemnel]

Ive been highlighting the lack of insects for a couple of years now and the off topic thread " Where have all the Insects gone ?" contains intresting reasons for their decline , together with the usual sneering opinion from some who don't agree...Which I find baffling .Tbh


I would imagine LED lights have a negative effect on all wild life directly or indirectly .there are dark mornings when I can hear birds awake at say 3am singing completely out of key and at the wrong time ...you'd have to have listened to bird song over the years to notice the difference ..the fluorescent street lights are upsetting their body clocks
Then you have super fast cable/ wifi which hums an ominous deadly tune which I can only imagine how it affects insects Inc bees wasps hornets etc
Insect eating birds have been decimated in Numbers.
The Sand Martin's near me returned in smaller numbers this summer from their winter shores .....why would you continue to fly half way round the world for less food supplies ? The cuckoo has been declining for over a decade now ; once THE voice of the meadow and low.and country side,

At least you have added scientific debate to the thread! ....I've been aware of it for years tbh. Getting folk to talk about it is another matter; much to much else happening as a distraction......

The insect issue is most certainly a joined up set of circumstances including urbanisation, prevalence of insecticide, lack of habitat, co loss of pollinators (and thus flowers etc), different climate and other species. The rise of chemicals post war is crazy. It's proliferation through the food chain has been felt, and will continue to be felt, for decades.

 

[Tuearts right boot]

I don't know about adding scientific debate. It's nice of you to say it but that's a bit too far fetched for my simple brain.

It's an interesting point you made, though, about birds chirping away in the dead of night. There have been a couple of occasions over recent years I've heard it, and on both occasions it was in the depths of winter.

It was full on constant chirping throughout the night, and I just thought 'Oh man, you're wasting your time' and well, kind of felt sorry for them looking for a mate at the wrong time of year, but I admired their persistence.

Thinking about the points you've made, I never thought at the time it was the street lights scrambling their brains, but it makes sense now.

Yes, there are many aspects of life we once knew which have changed.

With regard to insects, I used to drive for a living at night, and it became very noticeable at some time over the last 15 years or so ago, maybe less, I don't remember exactly when, the amount of dead insects on the front of our vehicles had diminished significantly during the summer months.

I wasn't the only driver to notice it, and it promoted a sort of 'what's going wrong with nature' discussion amongst us because the contrast was so obvious when compared to previous years.

There could be one reason regards the lack of insects on the front of cars....more aerodynamic styling, maybe....

 

[SCEtoAUX]

Plenty of rabbits where I live on the Somerset/Devon border. Loads of deer too, but they hide pretty well. Having said that, this one wandered into and ate our garden last year:



Have seen stoats and weasels out there too, but we like the hedgehogs best. They're safely hibernating right now, but we have at least half a dozen who we can identify, and were regular visitors from March to November (or thereabouts).



We are blessed with a great variety of birds too, including a resident Buzzard. Woodpeckers (Greater Spotted and Green) are rather lovely to see too, though they will attack bird boxes.

We certainly do out bit to help nature, but having only lived in this house 18 months I can't say if we have seen any decline.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Has anyone else noticed, the decline in our wildlife species.
I have seen many a Stoat ,over the years, but not for a few years now.
The Rabbits and rodents, that they feed on,are also not as widespread as they used to be.
Nature has lifted my heart ,on so many occasions, over the years, and I am simply highlighting
It's apparent decline...
First time I ever saw a Stoat, was 1985,Notts, Strelly woods just off Junction 26 M1 Motorway..,just saw a moving furry unit ambling down the side of Arable land.it was a sight to behold,a predator on afternoon stroll if you like.
Anyone else fascinated by Stoats and have you seen them recently ?

As an angler I see everything and have never seen a stoat. Plenty of weasels but a stoat is one of the very few British animals of any type that I’ve never seen.

 

[idahoblues]

Growing up in a small village in Northants, me and my friends knew every inch of the countryside for miles around. I think I saw just about every mammal in that area, we had fallow deer, Roe deer and those funny little Muntjacs. Still love traveling and looking for wildlife of all descriptions

 

[meltonblue]

When I was living in Melton, we’d see urban foxes pretty much every night. I’ve moved to a village in Nottinghamshire now, we’ve got two bats that live in the garage, hedgehogs constantly in the garden (which my border terrier painfully realised he couldn’t eat) and an owl that visits a tree in our garden every night.

I was brought up in Shropshire in the middle of nowhere. That was amazing for seeing all forms of wildlife. Still remember the first time my now wife came to stay at my house in Shropshire. She couldn’t sleep as she thought she kept on hearing someone screaming, it was just a fox.

The difference in sounds even just to a village let alone a town is amazing.

 

[dennishasdoneit]

As an angler I see everything and have never seen a stoat. Plenty of weasels but a stoat is one of the very few British animals of any type that I’ve never seen.

I've only ever seen 2 Stoats . Plenty of weasels ..fleetingly
Not one Otter ,have you as an Angler seen them ?

Seen plenty of dead Shrews and Moles but never a live one of either species.

I saw a Stoat family out on their travels once just outside Cossal village, Notts, crossing the road in single file lead by the mother ,and followed by a 6 or 7 kits ./ baby Stoats.

All crossed from arable land on one side , up the kerb and straight into vegetation on the other ...all managed it except the smallest weakest kit at the back of the queue...as I approached,slowly, in the car I wound down my window and the baby Stoat let out a desperate, heart breaking cry for help ....I quickly decided that my presence was prob keeping mother Stoat from coming back to fetch her young and reluctantly decided to drive on....hope it survived.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

I've only ever seen 2 Stoats . Plenty of weasels ..fleetingly
Not one Otter ,have you as an Angler seen them ?

Seen plenty of dead Shrews and Moles but never a live one of either species.

I saw a Stoat family out on their travels once just outside Cossal village, Notts, crossing the road in single file lead by the mother ,and followed by a 6 or 7 kits ./ baby Stoats.

All crossed from arable land on one side , up the kerb and straight into vegetation on the other ...all managed it except the smallest weakest kit at the back of the queue...as I approached in the car I wound down my window and the baby Stoat let out a desperate heart breaking cry for help ....I quickly decided that my presence was prob keeping mothers Stoat from coming back to fetch her young and reluctantly decided to drive on....hope it survived.

I see otters all the time, sometimes at fairly close range. Usually at night. Sometimes I hear them snort but can’t see them. I do a lot of night fishing on lots of rivers so sitting in total dark and silence they don’t know you’re there.

You’re privileged to see the baby stoats. Seen a whole mink family cavorting including an albino one.

 

[dennishasdoneit]

I see otters all the time, sometimes at fairly close range. Usually at night. Sometimes I hear them snort but can’t see them. I do a lot of night fishing on lots of rivers so sitting in total dark and silence they don’t know you’re there.

You’re privileged to see the baby stoats. Seen a whole mink family cavorting including an albino one.

I might have seen an Otter few years back at a distance at Attenborough nature reserve Notts,but it could have been a Mknk or large fish thrashing about just below the surface . I didn't have my binocs on me so I'll never know.

Saw a weasel on a hot balmy day in Leicestershire open country side mid 90s
I'd decided to to just lie down on the grass ,for a bit and a weasel approached out of nowhere full of curiosity , before disappearing just as fast into a hedge ,but 're appeared for another brief look at me ,before going back into the hedge.
Weasels are very curious creatures and often take a 2nd look,seen them do that a few times now.
Fascinating creatures.

 

[SamTheGuru]

Has anyone else noticed, the decline in our wildlife species.
I have seen many a Stoat ,over the years, but not for a few years now.
The Rabbits and rodents, that they feed on,are also not as widespread as they used to be.
Nature has lifted my heart ,on so many occasions, over the years, and I am simply highlighting
It's apparent decline...
First time I ever saw a Stoat, was 1985,Notts, Strelly woods just off Junction 26 M1 Motorway..,just saw a moving furry unit ambling down the side of Arable land.it was a sight to behold,a predator on afternoon stroll if you like.
Anyone else fascinated by Stoats and have you seen them recently ?

I see stoats quite often. For me, I hardly see hedgehogs anymore. Foxes are a pest. Beavers have been reintroduced south west england, which is quite ironic considering beavers are the biggest pest in Canada. Used to see at least 3 hedgehogs without fail on a walk home 20 odd years ago, If you are getting philosophical, our entire species and the variations of what we call humans wiped out megafauna.

 

[dennishasdoneit]

I see stoats quite often. For me, I hardly see hedgehogs anymore. Foxes are a pest. Beavers have been reintroduced south west england, which is quite ironic considering beavers are the biggest pest in Canada. Used to see at least 3 hedgehogs without fail on a walk home 20 odd years ago, If you are getting philosophical, our entire species and the variations of what we call humans wiped out megafauna.

I agree with you 're the decline in hedgehogs . Almost a daily sighting for me, dead or alive ,30 years ago.

Not sure I agree with you in calling any wild animal a pest ,although Foxes split opinion like few other mammals .
I always point out that Britain used to have Mammals like The Wildcat Lynx, Brown Bear, Beavers, Wolves etc etc etc many many years before the human race existed. It could be said that Man is the true pest ,not the other way round ...depends how you look at things .

I'd not heard about Beavers being the biggest pest in Canada,that's a new one on me . In this country of course they Were hunted by Man to extinction...the 're introduction of the species will be intresting, with few natural predators of the adult beaver.....lets see how they fare this time around ...


Turning back to Foxes, esp urban based creatures, the exploding Brown Rat population in the country would be a lot worse still if not for night time predation by the Red Fox.

Many observers would point out that Foxes are a pest where Chickens are concerned with their known blood thirsty habit of killing multiple birds ( more than they can eat ) when they get into a coop.

However....Man slaughters far more Chickens than The Red Fox, and I imagine thousands are disposed of ,uneaten, when they go out of date each day in our super markets !

 

[SamTheGuru]

I agree with you 're the decline in hedgehogs . Almost a daily sighting for me, dead or alive ,30 years ago.

Not sure I agree with you in calling any wild animal a pest ,although Foxes split opinion like few other mammals .
I always point out that Britain used to have Mammals like The Wildcat Lynx, Brown Bear, Beavers, Wolves etc etc etc many many years before the human race existed. It could be said that Man is the true pest ,not the other way round ...depends how you look at things .

I'd not heard about Beavers being the biggest pest in Canada,that's a new one on me . In this country of course they Were hunted by Man to extinction...the 're introduction of the species will be intresting, with few natural predators of the adult beaver.....lets see how they fare this time around ...


Turning back to Foxes, esp urban based creatures, the exploding Brown Rat population in the country would be a lot worse still if not for night time predation by the Red Fox.

Many observers would point out that Foxes are a pest where Chickens are concerned with their known blood thirsty habit of killing multiple birds ( more than they can eat ) when they get into a coop.

However....Man slaughters far more Chickens than The Red Fox, and I imagine thousands are disposed of ,uneaten, when they go out of date each day in our super markets !

If you are getting into specifics, Beavers spends most of their time building dams and storm water blockages. Their highway network cannot keep up with the amount of blockages the put in to basic storm water systems. The thing with foxes, is they kill for sport; as any bird owner will tell you.

I think all of the mammals over the last few hundred years should be introduced and let natured take it's course. The worry is live stock. So if Grey Wolves were reintroduced then what do you do.

 

[shemnel]

I've only ever seen 2 Stoats . Plenty of weasels ..fleetingly
Not one Otter ,have you as an Angler seen them ?

Seen plenty of dead Shrews and Moles but never a live one of either species.

I saw a Stoat family out on their travels once just outside Cossal village, Notts, crossing the road in single file lead by the mother ,and followed by a 6 or 7 kits ./ baby Stoats.

All crossed from arable land on one side , up the kerb and straight into vegetation on the other ...all managed it except the smallest weakest kit at the back of the queue...as I approached,slowly, in the car I wound down my window and the baby Stoat let out a desperate, heart breaking cry for help ....I quickly decided that my presence was prob keeping mother Stoat from coming back to fetch her young and reluctantly decided to drive on....hope it survived.

Otters are funny buggers - such great things to see, charismatic animals. They seem to be elusive and hold the 'wow' factor when someone tells you that theyve seen one. And then they just rock up and make a home in a town centre somewhere! they're funny like that. Kendal town centre had some for a while (might still do), and in Lancaster a pair have made a home on the busy university campus, making themselves local celebrities. Lovely animals.

 

[Nethermoor]

If you're not a farmer with chickens I don't understand the issue with foxes. We have one that comes through our garden... Never bothered us.

I quite like it. We have a cat and a dog too, and there's never been an interraction.

 

[SCEtoAUX]

If you're not a farmer with chickens I don't understand the issue with foxes. We have one that comes through our garden... Never bothered us.

I quite like it. We have a cat and a dog too, and there's never been an interraction.

It's not just farmers who keep chickens though, loads of people have a few in their gardens, and foxes will kill every chicken they possibly can if they get into the enclosure/coop.

 

[Nethermoor]

It's not just farmers who keep chickens though, loads of people have a few in their gardens, and foxes will kill every chicken they possibly can if they get into the enclosure/coop.

Not really the foxes fault...