We completed our initial monitoring session at Sculthorpe Moor today. With one eye on the sky as rain was forecast towards the end of the morning, we covered a small area within the 47 hectares of the beavers' enclosure, using the existing trackway between the streams and ditches, the highest point within their pen that should remain dry as the animals engineer their environment. The two animals arrived a few weeks ago and I (Denise) was lucky enough to glimpse one of the animals as we set up shortly after 6am.
The catch was low with only 13 birds, but there was a good mix of species that provided opportunity for explanation of what data is collected and how that is done for the reserve staff who will be assisting our work from time to time . The aim is for our sessions to provide information on how the beavers' activities benefit their environment and the other species present.
The following article on the effects of beaver within an ecosystem was published earlier this month.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.873307/full
Total: 13
Wren - 4
Robin - 3
Blackbird - 1
Blackcap - 2
Marsh Tit - 1
Great Tit - 1
Treecreeper - 1