News | Blog
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An insight into Citizen Science with VWT
3rd May 2024Citizen science is built into much of VWT’s conservation work on threatened mammals in Britain, Ireland and mainland Europe. It provides a way for anyone, regardless of experience and background, to get involved in the scientific process of research — at VWT, this is particularly through gathering information on the species we focus on. Citizen Read More
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And it’s ‘Goodbye’ from Lizzie Croose…
1st March 2023But we couldn’t let her go without one final blog… What are your first memories of joining VWT? When I joined the Trust, VWT was embarking on a new project to search for evidence of any remaining pine marten populations in England and Wales. I cut my teeth looking for pine marten scats in forests Read More
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Mustelids and me: how a school project led to a life-long fascination
3rd October 2022Generally, I quietly work behind the administrative scenes and am known more for my style (as in writing guidelines) than my natural science. However, I was drawn to the work of Vincent Wildlife Trust because of my fondness – call it obsession – for all-things Mustelidae. In January 1977, a second-year (Yr 8) form teacher Read More
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Counting bats in Kerry – VWT Ireland’s volunteer, Nora, keeps an eye on lesser horseshoe bats and their roosts
15th March 2022The Trust owns seven buildings in County Kerry that held just under 2,000 adult lesser horseshoe bats in 2021. Nora Coffey and Kate McAney We rely on two long-term volunteers, Nora Coffey and Maire O’Connell, to conduct emergence counts at six of these each summer, between the last week of May and the first week Read More
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A privileged peek into the hidden world of greater horseshoe bats
16th November 2020It’s 3am on a Monday morning in June 2019, and I’m perched on a box in the cold dark of a small room, grateful for the many items of branded clothing I’d been issued with when I joined Vincent Wildlife Trust (VWT). I’m wearing them all now…and still I’m cold. I’m also struggling to keep Read More
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Back on the trail of pine martens in northern England
16th November 2020Thanks to funding from the National Lottery, VWT’s Back from the Brink (BftB) Pine Marten Project is facilitating and monitoring the natural recovery of the pine marten as it moves over the border from Scotland into northern England. Working with volunteers, landowners and land managers, we are surveying woodlands in Northumberland and Cumbria to collect information on Read More
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VWT and the Irish Environmental Network
27th July 2020VWT in Ireland undertakes what you might call a soul-searching exercise in the first quarter of every year. This has nothing to do with setting New Year’s resolutions but relates to our completing an annual application form to join the Irish Environmental Network (IEN). The IEN is an umbrella network that supports Irish environmental NGOs Read More
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The impact of traffic noise on bat activity
14th July 2020We are well aware that driving our cars around, perhaps in pre Covid-19 times, can have negative effects on the environment by increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, reducing air quality, and increasing the likelihood of pollution in waterways; all of which can have significant effects on human health, but what about Read More
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The ‘bear’ necessities: collating and using evidence in mammal conservation
29th June 2020As conservationists, we often have to make important decisions in our work about what management actions to undertake – from putting up nest boxes to total habitat restoration. To do this correctly, we need to gather a wealth of information such as local site conditions, resource and policy constraints, and any past experience. We also need Read More
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Can genetics help us uncover the secret life of Bechstein’s bats?
1st June 2020It is well known that bats are unique amongst mammals. Their ability to fly has allowed them to establish themselves in most continents and habitats, with the exception of Antarctica. Bats have also evolved a distinctive ability among land mammals to use echolocation as a tool for orientation. Both adaptations have allowed them to take Read More
