As we approach the end of August I thought it was time to put fingers to keys and type another entry for the blog. August has seen the start of the Wildlife Trusts Bat and Crayfish surveys. The first bat survey was on the 14 Aug in the centre of Andover. About 14 of us under the guidance of Sarah and Kate and equipped with bat detectors and clip boards staked out four locations between Asda’s and the City Mills pub. Between the four groups we saw and heard all five types of bat that we had seen on the training evening at Rooksbury. It’s amazing that with all the hustle and bustle of a Friday evening in Andover that these nocturnal creatures go about their business totally missed by the majority of the public. Unfortunately the group I was in, behind Asda’s, had the quietest of the four locations, but we did manage to spot one or two Pipistrelles. Further surveys are planned for the remainder of August and into September and we hope to be able to identify amongst other things where the bats are roosting.

The crayfish surveys are being carried out on the Anton to establish the range of the native white clawed and the American signal crayfish. As part of the training for these surveys we had to take part in water safety training day at the wildlife trusts HQ. This course taught us the current first aid for a drowning casualty, how to carry out risk assessments before entering the water and the dangers that we might face once in the river. The day finished in a local swimming pool where we practiced using the throw lines and then rescuing each other.
The surveys cover Anton Lakes and Rooksbury. No surprises that I, along with Louise, am covering Rooksbury. The training was held one evening in Mid August with Ben and Sarah from the Wildlife trust. Ben had already set 5 refugia, a type of artificial burrow, but all were empty so we never got to see a living specimen. The following week Louise and I set out to check Ben’s first 5 refugia and set another five. These artificial burrows are made up of 6 different sizes of tubing attached to a metal grid. As crayfish live in burrows during the day it is hoped they will make one of the tubes home. These are not traps which mean we don’t need to check them daily. Our third refugia held an American signal crayfish. It was duly measured and disposed of. The American crayfish like the Mink is a non-native species and also like the mink it’s causing huge damage to our river systems. The American crayfish are not only bigger than the native ones but they also carry a plague which kill the smaller white clawed variety. The finding of one American crayfish is bad news and will undoubtedly mean that we will find none of our native ones. After setting and marking the other five refugia we called it a night. Two weeks later we returned and found all 10 refugias empty. We will return in a week’s time and if they are still empty we will relocate some or all of them to other parts of Rooksbury.

The water vole surveys continue and I have also helped Sarah and some other volunteers at other sights across Hampshire. What a difference to the Anton. One stretch we covered had barely any sign of life apart from masses of mink tracks along each bank. It really shows what damage these creatures can cause killing all types of wildlife along the river bank. It’s not always so rosy at Rooksbury either, I’ve heard recently of a Heron catching a water vole.
Sarah, Louise Aidan and others have also being water vole surveying at Charlton lakes with positive signs not only for Ratty but otters as well.

James Cooke

Jess Latham- Warde