WildWatch opportunities
Below is a list of opportunities for you to help us with wildlife survey and conservation work in the North Pennines. This list is updated when new opportunities arise.
Please help us secure our funding by completing and returning volunteer timesheets (links below) for any time you spend doing wildlife survey in the North Pennines. Thank-you
1. Water vole monitoring: We require people who can undertake a long (ish) term commitment to monitoring one (or more) sites in the North Pennines for water voles. This usually means being matched up with a farmer in a location convenient for you, on a site where water voles have previosuly been recorded, and undertaking a twice annual count of water vole latrines. Training will be given, and there is usually a training event in May every year. The event for this year is now fully booked, but with sufficient interest a further session will be laid on. More details below:
Water vole long-term monitoring programme
2. Ring ouzel monitoring: The RSPB are launching a national survey to monitor ring ouzels which are known to be declining in numbers in the UK. This is quite a technical survey involving the use of sound playback to birds and requires some familiarity with ring ouzels and upland habitats. If this is you, and you have 5 hours to spare twice during the breeding season, please get in touch with me (Andy) in the first instance and I will pass on your details. The survey instructions here give you some idea of what might be involved. Ring_ouzel_2012_survey_instructions.pdf
3. Red squirrel monitoring: Red Squirrels Northern England have launched a new montoring strategy for red and grey squirrels to inform their conservation policy. In the first instance they are looking for people who have red squirrels visiting their gardens regularly to take part in regular timed observation of squirrels. Later in the year (August 31st) we are running a joint training afternoon in Allenheads for those who might be interested in learning about the monitoring and taking part in more mobile monitoring - walking and searching on specified routes. Please register your interest by emailing me (Andy) in the first instance.
4. Botanical monitoring of Local Wildlife Sites in Northumberland: We have linked up with the Northumberland Local Sites Partnership to help them with their aim of revisiting all the designated Local Wildlife Sites in the North Pennines part of Northumberland. If you are keen botanist and would like to help out with this work, then please make sure you are registered with WildWatch and then email Andy to express your interest. We will be arranging some training very shortly (probably late May).
5. Adder hibernacula emergence counts:We aim to start a long term monitoring project to measure the health of adder populations in the North Pennines. At this point in time we are collating a list of names of interested parties and will be arranging some training in late summer/early autumn. If you are interesting in hearing more about this later this summer, please register with WildWatch (if you haven't already done so) and then email Andy to express your interest.