Hedgehog Surveys – the results are in!

The recent hedgehog surveys in Southwell and Farnsfield conducted by Lauren Moore based at Nottingham Trent University, have come to a very successful close.
20 survey nights, 40 hedgehog boxes and 120 hours of hedgehog searching. The results are in!

Farnsfield is home to 51 adult hedgehogs and 20 juveniles, whilst Southwell hosts 27 adults and 10 juveniles. We were able to GPS tag a subset of large and healthy individuals for three weeks, showing us preferred habitats and how they move around, to name but a few exciting revelations from these tags.

Farnsfield’s hedgehogs spent a lot of time in the large, open green spaces such as the cricket fields and Parfitt Drive park, as well as scurrying between the very well-connected gardens. There seems to be a hotspot in the Fletcher Court and Alexander Road/Abbott Crescent area. In Southwell, the Trail was a clear favourite of hedgehogs, both for nesting and as a linking corridor. Particular hotspots were Beaumont Avenue, Landseer Road and Dunham Close.

Lauren said: “It was amazing to see the difference in movements between males and females. The majority of males were found to travel around a kilometre away from where I first found them, whilst some females stayed in the same park/field for nearly the entire three weeks!

“It is uplifting to find such thriving and healthy hedgehog populations, amidst their nationwide decline. I cannot thank the very kind volunteers and communities who have helped not only bring this project to life but make it a success.”

Published September 2020