October 30th - Harvest Mouse Training Day
Saturday 30th October
10-4pm
Tutor: Steve Kirk
This course covers a brief ecology of the harvest mouse, its status in Kent, and how to survey for this species by nest searches. You will learn what habitats are most likely to contain harvest mouse nests, how to survey and what data to record. Following a classroom presentation in the morning (limited to 10 people), participants will have the opportunity to see live harvest mice as part of Wildwood’s captive breeding programme as well as to examine specimens of actual nests. After lunch we will drive in as few cars as possible to a nearby location where nests may be found in the field and participants will be encouraged, under supervision, to put into practice the techniques they have learned.
Afterwards, trained surveyors will be able to survey a suitable area on their own or with others and contribute data to both the Kent monitoring programme and to the current Mammal Society National Harvest Mouse Survey. Wildwood will continue to offer support and guidance to surveyors. It is hoped that the survey protocol will become adopted as the standard methodology nationwide.
Free to all survey volunteers. Please email courses@wildwoodtrust.org to book a place.
November 22nd – UKHab Webinar Training Course
Monday 22nd November
10am – 3.30pm
Tutor: Lesley Mason PhD ACIEEM – Freelance Botanist & Ecologist – UKHab Accredited Trainer
The UK Habitat Classification (UKHab) is a new comprehensive classification system for vegetation habitats which has many uses in conservation and land management. UKHab is set to replace the Phase 1 Habitat Survey currently used by ecological consultants in Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA) of development sites.
UKHab will also be used as part of the Biodiversity Net Gain metric calculation for new developments.
This one day course comprises 3 Zoom webinar sessions covering:
- Introduction and overview of the UKHab
- UKHab survey: How to code and map habitats
- Using the UKHab Field Key to habitats (includes practical tasks)
- Sessions will be 60 to 90mins each to allow time for participant interaction, questions and breaks. Limited to a maximum of 15 participants. Participants will be contacted via email to arrange webinar sessions.
NB. Participants may wish to download the UKHab documents in advance of the course from the website here: https://ukhab.org/
We will be practicing using the Field Key in session 3, so a printout of the key will be very useful.
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December 4th - Let’s Blame the Ice Age
Saturday 4th December
10.00am – 12.30pm
Tutor: Anne Riddell
How did the Ice Age influence the mammal fauna of Britain? Why did woolly mammoths walk here, followed by the mammals we find today, but the humble house mouse was caught out by rising seas and left on the French coast? This 2hr Zoom lecture also explores modern science’s plans to bring back those Ice Age giants and rehabilitate them to the 21st Century. There will be an opportunity for questions and discussion afterwards.
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January 29th and February 5th - An Introduction to Ecology
Saturday January 29th and Saturday February 5th
10.00am – 12.30pm
Tutor: Anne Riddell
Introducing the science of ecology through four ecosystems, four ecological topics and four questions asked by ecologists, as well as key species that inhabit those ecosystems and some of the methods we use to study and draw conclusions about them. We’ll be looking at:
- wild flower meadows, populations and how we count how many organisms there are
- coppiced woodlands, biotic/abiotic factors and what influences those organisms’ presence or absence
- rocky shores, zonation, and how organisms adapt to their environment
- wetlands, spatial ecology and tracking individuals, how they use their environment and how much more can we learn from looking at individuals as well as wider populations
This series of four x 1hr Zoom lectures runs over two consecutive Saturdays and two habitats, topics and questions will be examined on each morning.
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March 12th, 2022 - Introduction to Amphibian Ecology and Surveying - March 12th 2022
Saturday 12th March 2022
2.00pm - 8.00pm
Tutor: Mike Phillips and Alexandra Marnerou
In partnership with Kent Reptile and Amphibian Group (KRAG)
An introduction to the identification and basic ecology of Kent’s frogs, toads and newts. Find out what makes a good amphibian pond as well as different survey techniques, finishing with a torchlight survey of a nearby amphibian population. There will be an emphasis on newts due to the location. Own transport required.
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