Mammal Day A Success

On a cold Easter Saturday around one hundred people came to the Bennachie Centre to learn how to become a mammal detective.

The walks were very popular with queues waiting to join the leaders to search the snowy forest for signs of badgers, deer, squirrels or watery mammals. Many people went on more than one walk, and not only enjoyed themselves but also learned interesting new facts about our local wild mammals. Grampian Police brought along their exhibition trailer explaining how they tackle wildlife crime and showed people an assortment of mammal traps.

Sitting inside in the warmth people could learn about the work of the North East Scotland Records Centre and new North East Mammal Atlas. Having learned that there are more than 40 species of mammal in the Grampian area, and that a quarter of the 32,000 records on the database are for red squirrels (because of the high profile squirrel project), people were encouraged to send in their own records. Speakers explained all records were valuable and even a record of a molehill in the garden is very welcome. The work of Local Biodiversity Action Plan was highlighted and people were enthralled by footage from local camera traps including a pine marten raiding a squirrel feeder box, a roe deer seeing off a badger and an otter scampering over a bridge.

We hope everyone who enjoyed the day has turned detective and is sending mammal records to the NE Mammal Atlas - see link below.

The Bailies of Bennachie extend their thanks to all those who made the day such a success.

Our special thanks go to

Eric Jensen, Grampian Badgers

Jackie Cumberbirch - Forestry Commission Scotland. http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/fchomepages.nsf/hp/Scotland

Steve Willis, Scottish Wildlife Trust - NE Squirrel Project. http://www.scottishsquirrels.org.uk/regional/ssrs-north-east-scotland/

Andy Turner, Grampian Police Wildlife Crime Unit.http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Environment/Wildlife-Habitats/paw-scotland/Resources/Newsletters/Issue1/People/AndyTurner

Glenn Roberts, North East Scotland Biological Records Centre. http://www.nesbrec.org.uk/

Anne Robinson, NE Mammal Atlas. http://www.nesbrec.org.uk/modules/mammals/index.php

Rose Toney, North East Scotland Biodiversity Action Group. http://www.nesbiodiversity.org.uk/