August 2025

Over the past 4.5 years we have had an average of 10 trail cameras on site. That’s 45 years of footage. However this is our first sighting of a beautiful black American Mink!

To give a sense of scale, here is a video of a baby deer which was left by its mother to rest just outside the mink’s burrow. It quietly sat sleeping in this position for a solid 2 hours before being collected by its mum.

The American Mink was introduced into the UK for fur farming in the 1960s. Some were released and it is now a troublesome invasive mammal, mainly because it eats pretty much anything (rodents, fish, crustaceans, frogs, and birds). It has been linked to the decline of various other species. Now I know I have one on site I need to consider ways to humanely cull it.

Of course I understand my obligations to do the right thing but I can’t help but wonder about whether culling is the right approach. We have plenty of other non-native mammals that we happily allow into the UK (and our homes) which also indiscriminately prey on native animals, such as this pet cat – here seen with a freshly caught rodent.

Some invasive species are more cuddly than others...

Furthermore, it’s just circumstantial but I swear the population of nasty grey squirrels (also an invasive) is much less in the part of the wood where we observed the Mink. Maybe one invasive is controlling the other? Here however is a Grey Squirrel bravely sniffing around at the burrow entrance.

We had our second (of three) bat-trapping nights last week. 20 people came alone and the highlight of the evening was this beautiful Brown Long Eared Bat.  

Here is the slow motion video of it flying away

The other bat trapped during the evening was the tiny Soprano Pippestrelle. However halfway through its examination it escaped and disappeared into the night so we don't have a photograph. Next time!

During the evening, which included people aged between 7 and 70, we also did some star gazing, moth trapping and bug hunting (and of course the obligatory hot chocolates and Smoores around the camp fire). The next session will be on Friday 26^th September. If you would like to join us please email me on piers.clark@aspectnaturereserve.com.

It wasn't just bats we were trapping!

Setting up the Harp Trap

Checking the condition of the wings is important.

Martyn Cooke (licensed bat handler) removing the bat from the bag to do the examination

Anna Carey, ecologist, explaining the moth trapping techniques

In the woodland pond we have had a few exciting observations during August, including this buzzard with a recently caught crayfish (you may need to zoom in/see it on a big screen to see its claws writhing).

And we also caught this 1 second video of a mystery animal which I am hoping beyond all hope is an otter.

I have consulted with various ecology experts and everyone agrees more footage is required to be certain. It is either an otter or possibly it is another Mink, but it clearly isn’t the same Mink noted above (totally different size and shape) and what are the odds on their being two spotted?! We will be taking some new eDNA samples next week so the mystery should get solved soon.

If it is an otter then this is also our first sighting of this animal since we took over the site.

Other animals from August:

Two badgers exploring an old sett. I am hoping for some young later this year/early next year

A young male deer exploring the recent ‘scrapes’ we have created next to the stream. This area will become a flooded water meadow over the coming years.

A truly wild rabbit. I love how about 10 seconds in it turns and poses for the camera

And here, at exactly the same location is a (skittish) fox, no doubt looking for the rabbit it can smell.

  A wagtail catching insects at the pond

We thought this was some sort of bloodied tissue that someone had left on site when we first saw it, but (according to my knowledgeable friend Darcey from Gatwick Airport’s sustainability team) it is a mushroom from the Russula family. It is also called the Sickener mushroom for reasons you might be able to work out.

Finally, here is perhaps the most exciting fungi I have ever come across. Again it was with Darcey who found it (that’s her voice you can hear). It is a Bolete mushroom. This species is characterised by upright stems and the presence of pores instead of gills which gives a sponge-like texture. The super cool thing about this mushroom is how it changes colour (to blue) when cut open.

See you next month, please like and share.