Big Thank from Daisy to recorders Steve Doyle, John Martin and Chris Hind who fact checked her first ever museum exhibition.😀

The species of the week this week are Adder’s (Viperus berus).

A UK priority species that can be found in a variety of habitats such as woodland and heathland with a diet of lizards, small mammals and some small birds. Adders can be easily identified due to their distinctive zig-zag pattern down their back; they do vary in colour but tend to be ‘greyish’ though females sometimes appear more ‘coppery’ and males more ‘silvery’. Interestingly they are a venomous snake and the only venomous snake found in the UK, however they have a very diluted venom that isn’t that harmful to humans plus they naturally will slither off rather than lash out.

The CBDC has around 1000 records for Adders in Cumbria with the highest recorded month being May. The two highest recording years for Adders where 1991 and 2011, since 2011 we have seen a consistent downward decline for the number of records we receive. This is a worrying trend that is occurring across the UK, it is believed this decline is due to habitat loss but also adders only reproduce every 2-3 years meaning population recovery is very slow.

This means Adder records and recording Adders is very important as it can help create a bigger picture of the Adder population in Cumbria. If you have seen any Adders recently and have managed to get a picture of them please comment them down below, to start things off here are some incredible images taken by local recorder and an active member of the Cumbria Amphibian and Reptile group, Racheal Thompson.

Fantastic News!

Are you 16-30 and have an interest in wildlife and recording?

If so join the CBDC, AFON and Plantlife for a fantastic day of recording! All the details can be found on the poster below booking required.

Species of the week this week are European moles (Talpa europaea).

Moles are a very distinctive mammal with their small stocky velvet fur covered bodies (allowing them to move quickly in burrows in any direction), large spade feet and little pink nose. They are unusual also as their eyes are almost completely covered by fur and unused, as well as that they do not have any ears and only rely on smell and touch. Despite this they are so well adapted to life underground that with their spade feet they can dig a 14 metre tunnel through dirt in one hour. They have a large population in the UK with around 31 million individuals though lifespan of these animals is relatively short at 2.5 years; the females have 2-7 young in the breeding season.

We have a very high number of mole records for Cumbria no surprise considering their overall UK numbers; we have around 5000 mole records though many of these are for multiple individuals (sometimes up to 500 individuals!). Mole records are interesting as a lot of them are records of dead moles that have been trapped or found dead these ‘dead’ records are still very important as they can be used in the future to understand Moles better. Mole records really highlight the importance of recording dead animals and clarifying in records the abundance type as dead.

Moles are considered a pest in the UK particularly by farmers as they can cause contamination, and make fields at risk of collapse though this is only when a large number of moles are present. Gardeners too don’t like moles as they damage lawns. There are lots of different ways of controlling moles in the UK and most involve removing the moles by a number of different methods or deterring their earthworm prey. There is however a plant that naturally deters moles called Caper bush (Euphorbia lathyris) also known as the mole plant, this is a non-native plant and a natural mole controller as moles won’t burrow or live near to it.

If you have any wildlife sightings (dead or alive) then please go to our website and submit a record.