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Stoats loose in Orkney


Pole Star
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A report in our local paper that Scottish Natural Heritage is reminding the public to inform them of any sightings of stoats that have got onto the island since 2012 & so far this year there have been 21 reported sightings compared to 14 in 2012 so it looks like they are on the up which will have serious consequences for ground nesting birds in Orkney including game birds & wildfowl & waders , thing is will they ever get rid off them now ? . :hmm:

 

Pole Star

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I had a moment to go back over the Stoat article & it turns out that a woman's cat caught one near Kirkwall airport so that clearly confirms they are present .

 

Do any keepers think they will ever get rid of them or is it to late once they get a foot hold ??? or will be a case of years of persistent trapping ? note the stoat is considered a non native here .

 

Pole Star .

Edited by Pole Star
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How did they get there?

 

They think they my have came in in a load of hay from the mainland ack-ack or they think it may have been a deliberate introduction ? a very stupid thing if it was as the amount of ground nesting birds here is truly awesome .

Chances of getting rid of them would be slim & I don't think they have started a trapping program yet & time is off the essence because if they get all over the main Island it will be too late .

Its not like the trapping program of coypus in east Anglia where they are confined to a certain area because stoats can go from mash edge to heather moorland , I think its a real problem for SNH if they don' get trapping soon .

ATB Pole Star

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i was offerd the mink job a few years back but turned it down due to the amount of red tape involved in it all. it will work if they let a few people who know their oats lose on the island with a load of traps and no red atpe other than the current trapping laws but it wont happen and what ever they do it will be too late anyhow

Edited by highseas
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i was offerd the mink job a few years back but turned it down due to the amount of red tape involved in it all. it will work if they let a few people who know their oats lose on the island with a load of traps and no red atpe other than the current trapping laws but it wont happen and what ever they do it will be too late anyhow

I did point out in the Scottish Parliament that they spent a lot of money to not catch mink.

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It's good they'e got the trapping started earlier the better, And the stoats can live almost anywhere but they will prefer to run up fence lines, dykes or burns basicaly cover rather than the open fields making it slightly easier to trap them

 

if the numbers are small enough and even better if not spread out too far should make it easier to concentrate te traps. A lot off the grouse boys who are very hard on them, do a lot off rail trapping (basically setting a fenn on a rail/timber laid across burns/ditches and enclosed with wire mesh to keep it legal) for stoats and weasels which sems to be fairly succesful. They also go out tracking them in the snow same as they do foxes

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I'm told that there are stoats in Shetland. Is that the case? I haven't heard any reports of them inflicting huge damage on the ground-nesting birds there.

 

I tend to think that Orkney would have to develop a pretty sizeable stoat population before it became a real problem. The rat population, which, I'm told, is prodigious, is surely just as much of a threat.

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Ur right aldivalloch the rats or any other ground predator could be just as big a problem. Althou do rats in scotand venture as farm from buildings as the do down south? Have heard of many english shoots that have big rat problems around hoppers feed rides yet never heard of similar problems north of the border or north eng

 

The grouse boys spend a hell off a time trapping stoats, probably spend more time on them than any other predator so they must make a difference and numbers will soon build if they are the only ground based predator so have a massive supply of food wi no competition.

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Ur right aldivalloch the rats or any other ground predator could be just as big a problem. Althou do rats in scotand venture as farm from buildings as the do down south? Have heard of many english shoots that have big rat problems around hoppers feed rides yet never heard of similar problems north of the border or north eng

 

The grouse boys spend a hell off a time trapping stoats, probably spend more time on them than any other predator so they must make a difference and numbers will soon build if they are the only ground based predator so have a massive supply of food wi no competition.

 

I think rats are just about every where there is food for them scotslad & the strange thing is some times you wont see rats about until there is a food source ie they will find it for sure .

I had a lot of the filthy things around the buildings when we had a really wet year & a lot of barley was left uncut & lying down & when there is a lot of water about the rats of course are looking for dry lodgings ! .

 

As regards the stoats I hope they get em all not that I dislike them as I do rats its just they are regarded as an alien predator to Orkney , if I get any further news of how the trapping is going I will post it for those who are interested .

ATB Pole Star

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