I have loaded a set of maps (in reverse alphabetical order, due to the vagaries of blog-posting) of the mammals, reptiles and amphibians found in Pembrokeshire. These maps are from the records on the database so far. I keep finding records to be added, and so the maps will be updated periodically to try to keep them reasonably up to date.
Please feel free to add comments under each species - particularly about behaviour that you have observed. You can also add records in the comments box, but please remember to include your name, date of observation, what you saw (eg how many, was it dead or alive) and what species it was.
However, a better way to send records is to just email them to me at rushmoor1 at tiscali.co.uk, or request a spreadsheet form that you can send back to me at the end of the month, or end of the year.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Woodmouse
Dark blue dots show records since 2000Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990
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As with most small mammals, most of these records are either dead animals brought in by a cat, or skulls found in owl pellets. Woodmice are found on Skomer, but not Skokholm where there are only house mice.
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More information at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mammal/woodmouse.shtml
Weasel
Dark blue dots show records since 2000Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990
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Widespread.
We were emptying the moth trap one morning when there was a commotion from the blue tits in a nearby nest box. A weasel was nearby, and looking to get in. We tried chasing it off, but it didn't go far, and came straight back to the nest box when we went back to the moth trap. It stayed inside the box for a while, presumably making a meal of the single egg in there. Eventually it came out, but the blue tits continued to fuss around the box without going in for about ten minutes. Then they, too, left.
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More information at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mammal/weasel.shtml
Water Vole
Dark blue dots show records since 2000Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from 1970 - 1990
Whitedots show records from before 1970
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A species that has declined drastically across most of Britain, the water vole has also become very scarce in Pembrokeshire. A recent sighting in the St Davids area needs to be confirmed, but it seems to be extinct at all other known sites except one - and there have been no sightings there recently.
Water Voles are about the size of a rat, but with a shorter furry tail, small ears and a blunt nose. You can find more information at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mammal/water_vole.shtml
Water Shrew
Dark blue dots show records since 2000
Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990 -
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Shrews are rarely seen, and more rarely identified, unless dead. Of the three species in Pembrokeshire, the water shrew is the most-easily identified with its black back and white belly.
Although found most often near water, including small ditches, it can be found almost anywhere. One day a few years ago I was walking along a road and heard a squeaking from the freshly cut grass on a hedgebank. Several juvenile water shrews had been parked in the grass (before it was cut) by their mother, and they would not move until she returned. I did try moving one or two to a more concealed place a few feet away, but they moved back to where they had been originally. More information at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mammal/water_shrew.shtml
Viviparous (common) Lizard
Dark blue dots show records since 2000Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990
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Widespread.
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More information at http://www.herpetofauna.co.uk/common_lizard.htm
Stoat
Dark blue dots show records since 2000Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990
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Widespread, but not often recorded.
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More information at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mammal/stoat.shtml
Slow Worm
Dark blue dots show records since 2000Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990
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Widespread, and probably very under-recorded. They will bask under corrugated or flat sheets that get the sun during the day, so a careful lifting (and even more careful replacement) of any such sheet may reveal one of these legless lizards.
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More information at http://www.herpetofauna.co.uk/slow_worm.htm
Roe Deer
There have been three sightings of Roe Deer in the last five years. Two were between Angle Bay and Pembroke River, the third near Velindre Farchog. The origin of these animals is a mystery - has the species crept in un-noticed, or are these rehabilitated animals released into the countryside?
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More information at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mammal/roe_deer.shtml
Red Deer
Dark blue dots show records since 2000Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990
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Genuinely wild deer have not been recorded in Pembrokeshire in recent decades. The dots on this map represent deer farms where red deer are kept. There is also a herd of feral red/sika deer in the Teifi valley, but I need grid references in order to put them on the map.
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More information at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mammal/red_deer.shtml
Rabbit
Dark blue dots show records since 2000Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990
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Many people think I'm interested only in records of rare or unusual mammals. That isn't the case. Take rabbits, for example. Few people bother recording them because they think they are everywhere, so what's the point? Well, the map of records since 1980 says they aren't everywhere. Or are they? And even where there is a dot on the map, it could be twenty years old, so are the rabbits still there?I don't expect anybody to count rabbits, or record them at six-figure grid reference level. Just saying you have seen rabbits in a particular one kilometer square at a particular date (even just a year will do) makes a useful record. If you see rabbits from your house, just giving me the postcode will put a dot in the right place on the map.
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More information at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mammal/rabbit.shtml
Pygmy Shrew
Dark blue dots show records since 2000Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990
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Most records are from owl pellets or dead animals brought in by cats. Even the Skomer records are from owl pellets, none has been caught during any trapping sessions (for monitoring the Skomer Vole) so it seems probable that the short-eared owls are hunting on the Deer Park and bringing the shrews back to eat.
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More information at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mammal/pygmy_shrew.shtml
Polecat
Dark blue dots show records since 2000Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990
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A widespread species, the polecat is most often recorded as a road casualty. It's fortunes probably follow those of the rabbit, its preferred food, but there are not enough records in Pembrokeshire to confirm this.
Palmate Newt
Dark blue dots show records since 2000Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990
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This small newt is easily overlooked, especially as it does not spend much of its time in ponds - damp wooded places are a good bet.
It is the only species of newt recorded in Pembrokeshire - photographic evidence is required if you think you have seen any other species!
- More information at http://www.herpetofauna.co.uk/palmate_newt.htm
Otter
Dark blue dots show records since 2000 Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990
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Signs of otters can probably be found on every waterway and water body in the county, sightings of the actual animal are generally more scarce. Nevertheless, there have been regular sightings at Bosherston Lily Ponds, Westfield Pill, Nevern Estuary, and the weir at Haverfordwest. An increasing number of sightings are now coming from the coast.
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More information at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mammal/otter.shtml
Muntjac
Dark blue dots show records since 2000Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990
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An elusive creature that has spread quickly across Britain with a lot of help from people transporting it. The map does not include two animals seen on Skomer in in Autumn 1993, one of which survived until the following spring. These may have been rehabilitated animals put on the island as a safe haven, although such a practice is considered unethical. The animals would never have been native there, so should not have been introduced.
There have been no records since 2000
Mole
Dark blue dots show records since 2000Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990
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Surely the easiest mammal to record, as they leave obvious signs of their presence. Probably every single 1km square in the county, except the offshore islands, should have moles. But because they are so common, people don't often bother recording them. They might record a live mole, or even a dead one, because it's unusual to see one in the flesh. The majority of records on the above map were collected while I was doing surveys of butterflies (for the New Millenium atlas in the 1990s) or surveys of birds over the past four years.
The open circles mark records before 2000, so there are plenty of areas that need to be updated, as well as those areas where none have been recorded before. A one kilometre square grid reference is all that's needed - you don't have to count the molehills!
Moles are quite useful little beasts. While the molehills might be an inconvenience in a neat lawn, the tunnels that have been excavated are necessary for soil aeration and drainage. And moles are beneficial in that they prey on many harmful insect larvae.
More information about moles can be found at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mammal/mole.shtml
http://www.borealforest.org/world/mammals/european_mole.htm
House Mouse
Dark blue dots show records since 2000Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990
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Widespread but not often recorded. It is likely that some records refer to mice found in a house, but could refer to woodmice.
Hedgehog
Dark blue dots show records since 2000Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990
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Most of the records are of road casualties. These records are just as important as records of live animals, because they show that hedgehogs were living in a place until at least the last road casualty.
Hedgehogs seem never to have been common in Pembrokeshire, and this may be related to the high density of badgers here. Or it may be that our winters just do not get cold enough for animals that hibernate - they wake up too early during warm spells in winter.However, across the UK, the hedgehog seems to have been in decline and this decline seems to be most marked in the east.
You can see a report about a recent national hedgehog survey at http://www.hogwatch.org.uk/Downloads/HogWatchSurveyReport.pdf
More information at the Mammal Society website http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mammal/hedgehog.shtml
Harvest Mouse
Dark blue dots show records since 2000Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990
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An elusive creature, it has recently been recorded from the Slebech area (not on map yet)
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More information at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mammal/harvest_mouse.shtml
Grey Squirrel
Dark blue dots show records since 2000Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990
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Widespread and common except on the St David's peninsula.
Grey Seal
Dark blue dots show records since 2000Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990
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Primarly a coastal species, the grey seal also ventures along the Cleddau Estuary as far as the weir at Haverfordwest, and Blackpool Mill on the Eastern Cleddau. There are also records from Grassholm and the Smalls.
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More information at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mammal/grey_seal.shtml
For some seal sounds:
http://sounds.bl.uk/View.aspx?item=022M-W1CDR0001391-0400V0.xml This sounds like a group of seals on a pebble beach. Seals are not particularly sociable animals, but are often forced to haul-out together on small beaches to sleep (they can cat-nap in the water but have to come onto land to sleep properly). The calls are consistent with animals trying to find a space on the beach, and disturbing others as they do so. The calls are usually from the disturbed animals, telling the newcomer to go away. There are some snorts as an animal blows its nose. And the sounds of pebbles clattering as animals move across the beach.
http://sounds.bl.uk/View.aspx?item=022M-W1CDR0001391-0100V0.xml# This is a baby seal, a pup less than three weeks old. It seems to be trying to attract attention, either from its mother who is probably in the water nearby, or just communicating with any other seal pup on the same beach. They can sound remarkably like human babies at times.
Grass Snake
Dark blue dots show records since 2000Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990
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More information at http://www.herpetofauna.co.uk/grass_snake.htm
Fox
Dark blue dots show records since 2000Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990
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The second most-commonly-recorded mammal in Pembrokeshire. Many records are of road casualties, but because they often venture out during the day, there are a good number of live sightings too.
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More information at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mammal/fox.shtml
Field Vole
Dark blue dots show records since 2000Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990
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The field vole is thought to be the most common mammal in Britain. It is probably under-recorded as you usually need a dead animal, or a skull, or a survey with small mammal traps, to positively ID it. Not recorded on Skomer or Skokholm.
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More information at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mammal/field_vole.shtml
Common Toad
Dark blue dots show records since 2000Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990
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Common and widespread.
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More info at http://www.herpetofauna.co.uk/common_toad.htm
Common Shrew
Dark blue dots show records since 2000Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990
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Difficult to separate from the pygmy shrew unless you have a dead animal, or a skull. Some of these records may be pygmy shrews.
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More information at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mammal/common_shrew.shtml
Common Frog
Dark blue dots show records since 2000Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990
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Common and widespread throughout the county, although apparently it was scarce in the south until about thirty years ago.
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More at information at http://www.herpetofauna.co.uk/common_frog.htm
Common Dormouse
Dark blue dots show records since 2000Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990
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The common dormouse is scarce in Pembrokeshire, with records only from the Pengelli Forest area in the north. Confirmation of the record near Fishguard is required - a photo or other proof of ID is needed with any record of this species.
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http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mammal/dormouse.shtml
Brown Rat
Dark blue dots show records since 2000Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990
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Rats are probably the least popular mammal in the country, and few people bother to record them.
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Brown rats were eradicated from Ramsey Island in 2000, and have not been recorded there since. This has enabled some ground/burrow nesting birds to survive better there. Rats are not found on Skomer or Skokholm - one that was seen swimming ashore on Skomer in the 1950s was caught within 24 hours, and none have been seen since.
Brown Hare
Dark blue dots show records since 2000
Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990
Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990
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Hares are pretty scarce in Pembrokeshire, and mostly confined to the area between Newport and Cardigan, with a few scattered records elsewhere. So when I was walking along what turned out to be a defunct footpath on the Carmarthenshire border, I was thrilled to see a hare out in the open. He stood around for a while, so I got a good look at him, and then he turned and ran hell for leather towards the Carmarthenshire border!! I talked to the farmer who said that he saw hares regularly, and later to another farmer nearby who also said she saw hares regularly. So there seems to be a previously unrecorded population in the far east of the county.
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More information at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mammal/brown_hare.shtml
Bank Vole
Dark blue dots show records since 2000Mid blue dots show records from 1990 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1990
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Bank voles are mostly recorded as dead animals brought in by a cat, or as skulls in owl pellets.
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Skomer Island has its own race of bank vole.
Badger
Dark blue dots show records since 2000Mid blue dots show records from 1980 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1980
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Badgers are the most frequently recorded species in Pembrokeshire. Most records are of animals killed on the roads, but even these are very important as they show that badgers still live in that particular area.
More information at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mammal/badger.shtml
American Mink
Dark blue dots show records since 2000Mid blue dots show records from 1980 - 2000
Light blue dots show records from before 1980
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Mink appear never to have been common in Pembrokeshire, and sightings are now very few and far between.
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Adder
Dark blue dots are records since 2000
Mid blue dots are records from 1980 - 2000
Light blue dots are records from before 1980
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Adders are widespread across the county, but not often recorded.
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More information at http://www.herpetofauna.co.uk/adder.htm
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