Mole

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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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