Island Life Magazine Ltd February/March 2009 | Page 73

COUNTRYSIDE, WILDLIFE & FARMING

Hazel
Dormouse

life

(Muscardinus avellanarius)

Find out more about Britain’s Hazel Dormouse and it’s
importance on the Island . . .
The hazel dormouse has a reputation for its
hibernation habits. The name dormouse is
connected with the Latin ‘dormire’, or French
‘dormir’ which means ‘to sleep’. During the
summer and autumn months hazel dormice
will fatten up and prepare for the winter by
eating hazelnuts and honeysuckle berries.
The dormouse hibernation period can be
anytime between October and April and
takes place in an underground nest within
a tangle tree roots. Dormice often lose half
of their bodyweight during hibernation and
so when they emerge in spring they feed on
willow flowers and insects to build up their
fat reserves. After hibernating, dormice build
nests of woven honeysuckle further up in
the trees or hedges which they then live in
throughout the spring and summer.

By Abi Jarvis
important as dormice do not like to travel
over open ground. Mature woodland will
also have a wide variety of woodland flowers
in the spring.
Although found in 70% of Island woods,
the dormouse is an internationally rare
mammal species. The Island’s climate and
good coppice management has allowed the
dormouse to do well as it requires a wide
variety of species to feed on throughout
the year and a good supply of hazelnuts to
fatten up for the winter.
The Wildlife Trust has carried out a

comprehensive survey of Island woodland for
dormice and has also helped to undertake
nest box monitoring. Populations of dormice
occur at Eaglehead and Bloodstone Copses,
Swanpond Copse and St Lawrence Underc Ɩf`