Mammals
Mammal trapping
We use mammal traps during the year for a number of school groups to look small mammals. The traps are humane (it doesn't hurt the animal) and they have food and bedding inside, just like bed and breakfast.
Bank vole
This, along with the wood mouse, is the most commonly found mammal in the traps. They have reddish-brown coats, long tails with small ears and eyes. They live in the woods and hedgerows and move around during the day.
Wood mouse
We can usually work out if they have been caught before by how jumpy or calm they are! They have light brown coats and long tails. They also have big eyes and ears which they need as they are nocturnal (they come out at night). They like to live in woods, hedgerows and in long grass and are often called lond tailed field mice.
Yellow-necked mouse
Yellow-necked mice are relatively rare in Essex as this is as far north as they are found in the country. We find one on average every one to two months and it's always exciting when we do. They are slightly bigger and more brightly coloured than wood mice. They are light brown on their backs with a white tummy. They have a yellow chest spot which is between their front legs, and is sometimes extended to form a yellow collar. Yellow-necked mice like to live in woodland and hedgerows and are also nocturnal like the wood mice.
Otter
We have had signs of otters along the river which flows through the reserve, such as spraints (droppings) and prints. Otters are rarely seen as they are shy and nocturnal (only come out at night). Females are on average 1 m in length and males, 1.2m. They have webbed feet, a long stream-lined body and rudder like tail which means they are extremely well adapted to life in the water. Otters hunt their prey (95% fish) by sight during short dives, using their whiskers in murky water. They have a massive home range which can be up to 40km along a riverbank.
Otter prints
Badger
We have a lot of badger activity on the reserve, such as latrines (where they go to the loo), prints and claw marks. Also we see a lot of 'snuffle' holes where the badgers use their noses to ruffle up the ground in search of worms (which they eat like spaghetti!). Badgers vary in size and weight, especially with the seasons, but on average are 73cm in length and range from 9kg to 12 kg. Their faces are distinctively black and white striped, with a grey back and a white belly. They have a very good sense of smell and it is this that they use to sniff out their food and to see if there is any danger about.
