The Friends of Juniper Hall were captivated by hedgehogs, badgers, wood mice, foxes and a host of different bird species caught on camera going about their daily lives in the grounds of Juniper Hall. Steven Savage, one of the Field Centre tutors, enthusiastically described the initiative to record the wildlife of Juniper Hall in a systematic way. This will help the Centre increase habitat connectivity within its grounds and enhance biodiversity, supporting the nature reserves that surround it.
The entertaining trail camera recordings also provide a valuable resource to engage and enlighten the young people studying at the Centre – showing how wood mice can successfully steal food from live mammal traps without getting caught, how crows manage to find these hidden traps and dismantle them to extract the food; how wood pigeons skate about on the winter pond trying to drink the frozen water; how summer dragonflies flit about dipping their tails in the water to lay their eggs; and how a small wildlife pond can provide food and water for birds ranging from grey wagtails to grey herons and everything in between.
Steve’s growing database of bird species records reveals that a quarter of the birds living in the grounds of Juniper Hall are rare enough to have a conservation status, highlighting the importance of taking action to help them thrive there.