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Take part in our Island-wide surveys
It is nearing the survey season and again we will be looking for volunteers to take part in either the mammal and/or bumblebee survey.
Mammal Survey - What's Involved?
It’s very easy to take part as all you have to do is keep a record of all the mammals you see, dead or alive, whilst out walking the dog or on your way to work.
The key information we need if you take part in surveys is
- WHO are you,
- WHAT you have seen,
- WHERE did you see it (include a 6 figure grid reference) and
- WHEN did you see it.
Even if you only keep a record of mammals the cat has kindly brought in for you, it all helps us to get a clear idea of where different species hang out and how widespread they are!
Last years survey went really well with 14 volunteers taking part and a total of 664 mammals seen during the survey, which ran from the 1st March to the 31st May 2007.
This year the survey period will be from the 1st June to the 31st August 2008. The survey times have been staggered and will be rotated year on year so we can really start to build a picture of habitat use and population changes throughout the year. This may also help to determine the effects the weather plays on mammals and their distribution.
If you are incredibly keen, and do not mind late nights and early mornings then you may like to take part in small mammal trapping. We will be carrying out live trapping on various sites around the Island. The target species we hope to find are pygmy shrew and wood mouse, as they are very under-recorded on the Island. If you would like to get involved with this aspect of the survey please contact Jodie Robertson.
Recording forms and an information leaflet are available to download from the bottom of this page.
Can you bee a bumblebee surveyor …. again ??
Four years ago, in spring 2004, the Wildlife Trust ran a survey of Bumblebees on the Isle of Man, with volunteers submitting their own sightings to the survey on all species of bumblebee they observed during the summer months.
The project was a great success, resulting in many hundreds of new records, and helping us better understand the distribution and abundance of these delightful creatures. It was particularly reassuring to find that the numbers of some of bumblebees such as the Heather and Moss Carder bees, were still present here on the Island in good numbers, despite reports of falling populations elsewhere in the UK.
 This summer we are planning to run the survey again, so if you are interested in taking part, please contact either Duncan Bridges or Jodie Robertson at the Trust office. Recognising the different species of bumblebee is relatively easy – there are only a dozen or so species that are found on the Island, and several of those are readily identifiable. Some however do require a closer look, so careful observation and a ‘bug box’ observation jar or similar can prove useful.
If you took part in the original survey we would be especially interested in hearing from you as it would be most valuable to have the same sites monitored this year as were monitored during 2004
Everyone who takes part will be supplied with a recording form and an identification leaflet to help him or her with their species recognition. Plus, any volunteer who takes part will be given a free bumblebee home, made from reclaimed materials, to put in their garden or property. All we ask is that when the recording forms are returned to us at the end of the summer season, that you let us know if your bumblebee home is occupied, and if so by which species.
More information about the original survey, and the results of the first years monitoring, were published in our past newsletters. To read more, click here.
Download additional information and recording forms:
Mammal Survey Recording Form
Mammal Survey Information Booklet
Bumblebee Recording Form
Bumblebee Identification Sheet
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