March’s event is Hares and General Survey, Blithfield Sun, 8/3/26 10am – 3pm Brush up on tracks and signs survey skills + a good chance of hare boxing Bring lunch and a drink if you are staying all day. Meet at Blithfield walks car Park Grid ref SK055260 Nearest postcode WS15 3PL

Our Feb meeting is a General Survey - Keele Uni 8/2/26 10am – 3pm General tracks and signs survey Keele Uni Bring lunch and a drink if you’re staying all day. Dress for the weather. Meet at Keele Uni, Keele Road, Newcastle Grid ref: SJ817452 postcode: ST5 5BG What 3 words: sands.bets.shells

A lovely and healthy looking Fox from the Blithe Valley recently 😊

We had some excellent sightings of deer in the Churnet Valley recently on a wonderful winter woodland walk. 5 Red and 4 Roe the sightings no doubt helped by the animals standing out against the snow.

Our first event of 2026 is this Sunday Harvest mice and more, Burton Washlands Jan 11, 2026 10am – 3pm Wear wellies or waders and suitable clothing. Bring or wear gloves. Meet at the car park off the A5189 at: Grid ref: SK250220 postcode: DE14 3RT www.staffordshiremammalgroup.org/new-events/2...

Exciting news that Beavers are coming back to a site in Staffordshire soon. www.staffs-wildlife.org.uk/beavers-at-c...

An excellent hour spent looking for Harvest Mice nests in the Churnet Valley with 14 found during the session. Winter is the best time to search for HM nests as they are empty.

The annual SMG Christmas get together went very well today. Excellent company and great food plus exceptionally good weather for December! Plus we were celebrating 25 years of the group, here’s to the next 25 years!

Our next event is Deer and General Survey, Hopwas Hayes Sun Nov 9, 2025 10am– 3pm General Tracks and Signs survey at Hopwas Hayes. Improve your Mammal Detective credentials and enjoy a walk around this site Grid ref: SK166052 Nearest Postcode: WS14 9PX www.staffordshiremammalgroup.org/new-events

So national Harvest Mouse day was on the 19th. The previous week we had a very successful field outing at Doxey Marsh where upwards of 50 nests were found 😀

If anyone would like to donate to this appeal please see link below. It would be amazing to have Beavers in the wild in Staffordshire and also to restore this moss to its former glory. Thank you www.staffs-wildlife.org.uk/beaver-appeal

Our 1st event of the season is tomorrow Harvest Mouse Training, Doxey Marshes Sun, Oct 12, 2025 10am – 3pm Develop your harvest mouse nest finding skills Bring lunch if you are staying all day. Wear Wellies as ground conditions are wet. Bring gloves. www.staffordshiremammalgroup.org/new-events

🌍🐭 Happy World Animal Day! 🐭🌍 This Saturday 4th October we’re celebrating #WorldAnimalDay by kicking off the Harvest Mouse Survey Season 🌾 🔎 This year is extra special: we’re also marking the first ever National Harvest Mouse Day on 19th October! mammal.org.uk/current-rese... #WorldAnimalDay

Our next event is General Survey Beacon Park Lichfield Sun, Sept 14, 2025 9am – 3pm tracks, signs and sightings survey Beacon Park, Bunker’s Hill car park , Lower Sandford Street, Lichfield. Bring lunch and a drink if you are staying all day. www.staffordshiremammalgroup.org/new-events/2...

Ok everyone is there any help with this one out there, I think this large ( c.2 cm ) and striking insect could be a Tenthredo but I admit I am struggling so any ID suggestions appreciated. Seen in North Staffs at the weekend @dipteristsforum.bsky.social

The last of our summer Wednesday events is coming up, details on the website. Please note we will not be going onto the Moss but will be surveying the surrounding area. www.staffordshiremammalgroup.org/new-events

A good morning on today’s field trip despite the heat 2 Red Deer seen plus signs of 8 other mammal species add to that 11 species of Butterfly including Brown Argus and Purple Hairstreak, 5 species of Dragonfly and 3 species of Damselfly

🐾 An extremely rare pygmy shrew with an albino mutation was found by Anita McMillan near St Austell, Cornwall, while out for a walk. To find out more about how we protect shrews, head here: mammal.org.uk/current-rese... PC: Anita McMillan #environment #nature #wildlife #britishwildlife #mammals

Wonderful news! Baby pine martens bounding around Devon. youtu.be/5vM5Q1Lixl0?... #wildlife #devon #DevonWildlifeTrust @vincentwt.bsky.social

Our next event is Small mammals and general survey Pelsall North Common Sun, 13/7/25 9am – 3pm An opportunity to see mice, shrews and voles and to learn general mammal survey techniques Meet at Pelsall North Common car park, Wood Lane, Pelsall Grid ref SK015043 Nearest Postcode WS3 5AA

Some excellent mammal encounters last weekend in North Staffs, a striking Red Fox and a very peaceful moment with a riverside Roe Deer

Our next event is at Consall Woods Wed, 25/6 7pm – 10pm One of the few places in Staffs with a good chance of Roe deer, + bats as the evening goes on. Meet at Consall Wood Car Park, off Hollins Lane, Kingsley Grid ref SJ997476 Nearest Pcode ST10 2EW www.staffordshiremammalgroup.org/new-events

A fawn Red Deer was an exciting encounter last weekend in North Staffs, it is not often that a fawn this young is seen. Excuse the poor photo it was understandably quite skittish

Good to see so many signs of Eurasian Beaver on a recent group meeting, some old and some more recent 🙂

This magnificent stag Red Deer was out with the lads last night near Dilhorne, NE Staffs

A pleasant evening around Brindley Heath with the group yesterday. 2 Fallow Deer, 2 Foxes and plenty of Rabbits and bats seen plus Green Woodpecker and Cuckoo for those interested in birds. 🪶#ukbirding

Our next event is Tracks and signs Cannock Chase Hednesford old RAF site Wed, May 28, 25 7pm – 10pm What can we spot on this site? Meet at the small Car Park off Brindley Heath Rd Please dress for the weather Grid ref SK005135 Nearest postcode WS12 4DR www.staffordshiremammalgroup.org/new-events

Some excellent Badger action from North Staffordshire recently 🙂

Another good day yesterday with the final checks on our small mammal survey of the Wolseley Centre 9 Wood Mice, 13 Bank Vole and 2 Common Shrew were found

The first session of our Small Mammal survey at Wolseley SWT went well this morning with plenty of Wood Mice and Bank Voles plus 1 Common Shrew. Hopefully more to come this evening at 9

Our next event is Small Mammal Trapping Wolseley SWT (with WATCH group) 10/5/25-11/5/25 Meet at Staffs Wildlife Trust HQ car park First check 9am Sat 10th check and reset traps 8pm Sat 10th Final check 9am Sun 11th Grid ref SK024203 Postcode ST17 0WT www.staffordshiremammalgroup.org/new-events

It is city nature challenge weekend starting tomorrow and Staffordshire is participating again this year. It would be great to better last year’s excellent 4th place finish www.inaturalist.org/projects/cit...

A bit late for #BatAppreciationDay but an excellent evening spent watching 3 Noctule and countless Pipistrelles yesterday at Biddulph County Park.

Love an urban badger🥰

Happy #batappreciationday! Here is a gorgeous tiny Nathusius' pipistrelle I tagged last night. Hoping the #Motus network will tell us if he migrates! One ringed here about 15 years ago was found (sadly) dead in Netherlands - our first evidence of UK bat migration. @batconservation.bsky.social #bats

Our Waterway Survey went well last Sunday with 2 good sections of the Trent surveyed but worryingly plenty of signs of invasive species as shown in the photos below 🙁 www.facebook.com/groups/Staff...

A busy few weeks for publications! First up is the Dormouse Mitigation Handbook. Huge congratulations to the authors (I only edited it): a critical guide for protecting this threatened species from development. www.nhbs.com/hazel-dormou... @mammalsociety.bsky.social @mammalconeurope.bsky.social

Our next event is Trentham - Waterway Survey Sun, April 13, 10am – 3pm Meet by toilets Trentham gardens Grid ref SJ868405 postcode ST4 8AX Please bring lunch if you are staying all day. Wear wellies and clothes appropriate for the weather www.staffordshiremammalgroup.org/new-events/2...

A couple of stag Red Deer in the Coombes Valley from yesterday

Lovely day in the Staffordshire Moorlands today on our 3rd group outing of the year with 5 Roe Deer and 4 Brown Hare seen plus lots of sunshine and excellent to see plenty of breeding birds such as Curlew, Lapwing and Stomechats

Tomorrow’s event is Brown Hares - Swallow Moss Sunday, March 9, 2025 10:00am – 3:00pm We usually get good views of these amazing animals and some boxing behaviour at this time of year. Meet at Grid ref: SK 065605 roadside parking Nearest postcode SK17 0NA Wear sensible shoes / boots

Very pleasant afternoon in the Staffordshire Moorlands yesterday. c.50 Red Deer, 2 Brown Hare and numerous Rabbits plus some spectacular views

More exciting news from UK! (What is going on?!) Farmers invited to trial of a cattle vaccination against TB. Could be a game-changer, and is a welcome change from obsessive focus on badger culling, which has killed hundreds of thousands of animals and achieved little. www.gov.uk/government/n...

Eurasian Beaver has been reintroduced to Shrewsbury after a 400-year absence:

Wild boar are native to Britian: we wiped them out. They are messy, inconvenient creatures with a massive role in restoring our broken ecosystems. The straight tails strongly correspond with wild-type genetics. I'd like to see why they are described as "Feral pigs". www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Great results from our recent harvest mouse survey! Our dedicated group of youth forum members worked with the local community to monitor the population of rare harvest mice. We found a total of 10 nests in just 2.5 hours, suggesting their population is thriving. 🐭 📷 Ashleigh Thomson, Amy Lewis

Productive day at Cop Mere for our field trip with 12 species recorded. With signs of Otter, Badger, Roe Deer, Fallow Deer, Bank Vole, Field Vole, Fox, Squirrel, Hare, Mole, Rabbit and Rat. Singles of Brown Hare, Bank Vole and Squirrel seen

Want to find out about the conservation of Europe's hedgehogs and another punky group of mammals, the Blind mole-rats? Come to the FREE online meeting of @mammalconeurope.bsky.social on 3rd March. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mammal-con.... Pls share! #conservation #wildlife 🦔🌍 @ptes-org.bsky.social

Comparison of three camera trap designs for sampling small mammals link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Our February meeting is at Cop Mere for a General Survey Sunday, Feb 9 10am – 3pm Tracks and signs survey on this beautiful site Meet at the Star car park Grid ref SJ802294 Nearest Postcode ST21 6EW Wear sturdy footwear and warm clothing. www.staffordshiremammalgroup.org/new-events/2...