Survival of the Fittest!

New National Award Countryside Management students were getting to know each other this week as they tried to make fire by friction. Friction fire lighting is quite an advanced skill which students would normally have to practice over a long period of time before they master it, but the group soon realised that it was easier to apply the necessary pressure to the drill and work the bow back and forth to provide enough friction to create smoke and eventually a glowing ember.

As well as being a useful teambuilding activity some of our new students may well find the skills of friction fire lighting and bushcraft useful if they progress to careers working as rangers in country parks or on nature reserves where they deal with visitors. There are also options for students to progress into careers in environmental education and countryside recreation where these skills will be equally useful.  If nothing else it will be useful if we run out of matches in the woods in the depths of winter!

Moth Research at Moulton College and The University of Northampton

When you think about conserving species in the countryside, you often think only of high profile mammals that capture the public imagination. Yet is that right? Surely conservation should embrace the conservation of all species to fully recognise their role within natural systems?

Moths of the Order Lepidoptera are a widespread insect group, and with around 2,500 species they are considered to be one of the most diverse animal taxonomic groups in existence. Pivotally moths are considered by scientists to be a reliable indicator of ecosystem health. Some innovative research by Moulton College and University of Northampton PhD researcher Emma Coulthard has attempted to shed some light on the life of moths, and how land managers best conserve them in fragmented lowland landscapes.

One part of the study has examined whether moths pollinate hedgerow plants and it is these findings that will be presented at the Global Conference on Entomology in Malaysia (click www.gce2013.com for more details). Emma showed that nearly three-quarters of visitations to bramble flowers were from moths at night, indicating that they offer a true ecosystem service.This would explain why large numbers of species of moth can be supported in what would seem to be sub-optimal habitats.

So when you think about conservation, don't just think about otters, mink or red squirrels - consider the plight of the humble moth, a much ignored insect group.

Welcome to Moulton College!

If you are reading this and you are a new student, then a warm welcome from the countryside management team. We hope you have a great year!

We are:

Mel Reynolds - Curriculum Team Leader in Countryside Management
James Littlemore - Senior Lecturer in Countryside Management
Geoff Guy - Lecturer in Gamekeeping
Paul Foskett - Lecturer in Countryside Management
Katie Aldham - Lecturer in Countryside Skills (p/t)
Stu Wootton  - Lecturer in Countryside Skills (p/t)
Emily Howard-Williams - PhD Researcher
Emma Coulthard - PhD Researcher

Check back here for weekly updates to our blog which will feature articles and news onyou as our further and higher education students, as well as features on academic research and other news from time to time.

Cheers!

Harvest Mice on Camera Traps!

A camera trap has been placed adjacent to one of the supplementary feeding stations in the harvest mouse release enclosure and in the first 12 hours, it has been actively used. It seems activity patterns are cyclical, with peak activity thus far recorded between 04.00 and 06.00 am. Mammal ecologists believe some small mammals in the wild will alter their activity patterns to avoid predation, so it will be interesting to see if captively reared animals share this innate survival instinct. As well as the harvest mice, another creature has appeared on film. Leave a comment if you think you know what it is!

Update on Ottercam

 

With the camera trap positioned adjacent to the otter holt at Drayton, we were hoping for an elusive otter to appear on the footage. Take a look at the video's to see what turned up and leave a comment if you think you know what the mystery species might be........thanks! J

Countryside Management on BBC Television and Radio this Week!

We posted this story on Facebook today.......

BBC Look East paid a visit to the College yesterday to learn more about one of our ongoing wildlife conservation research projects. They were able to interview PhD researc...her Emily Howard Williams to find out a little about her project and to meet the charismatic wild animal in question – the elusive harvest mouse. As Britain’s smallest rodent, the harvest mouse has declined in numbers in Britain in response to agricultural intensification, habitat loss and use of pesticides and it’s conservation status remains uncertain. Therefore, Emily’s project aims to shed some light on the ecology of this declining and elusive wild mammal, and together with ex-student and director of Ecometry (http://www.ecometry.co.uk/) Dr David Wallis and Senior Lecturer Dr James Littlemore they have devised a species reintroduction scheme here in Northamptonshire with innovative technology to monitor animals post-release using Radio Frequency identification (RFID). It is hoped the results of this study will help land managers conserve this species and ensure its long-term survival in the British countryside.

The BBC are likely to feature the sequence on their new bulletin on friday or over the weekend. Emily also went on drivetime on BBC Radio Northampton last night to spread the word. Some photo's of the release site are shown below:

Harvest Mouse Soft Release Enclosure Finished!

Well it is now reaching a critical time for Emily's captively bred harvest mice as a small fenced enclosure is now finished which will hold them. This is located in rough grassland on the College estate and provides optimal habitat to understand how they disperse and interact. Animals have been fitted with electronic tags and a mosaic of readers designed by David will hopefully determine their behaviour over 24 hour periods. Essentially, we want to find out more about the ecology of this highly elusive and secretive mammal and aim to use our observations to advise land managers on how this tiny mammal can be conserved.

I will post some pictures, commentary and video of progress over the next week or so. Keep reading, J.