| Home
> Surveys > Completed
Surveys > Winter Mammals > Project
Methodology |
Winter Mammal Monitoring Project
Project methodology
WMM protocol is very similar to that of the BBS. Participants are
randomly allocated a 1km grid square within 10km of their home address
and asked to choose a transect route which crosses the square twice,
and therefore is approximately 2km long. The route should, where
possible, follow linear features such as tracks, footpaths, hedgerows
and field margins. This transect is walked on three occasions during
the winter period (October-March):
- Habitat surveying. On one of these visits
details of the habitat on either side of the transect route
are recorded using a standardised coding system.
- Sightings transect. On another occasion,
participants are asked to record the identity and number
of all wild mammal species they see and map their location.
The sightings visit should be made as soon after daybreak
as this is a period of relatively high mammal activity.
- Field signs transect. Finally, observers
are asked to record the presence of a standard set of field
signs along, and immediately adjacent to, their transect
route. It is important that field signs are recorded as
well as sightings because nocturnal mammals (e.g. badgers
and foxes) and burrowing species (e.g. moles) are unlikely
to be seen even when abundant.
All data are recorded on printed sheets that are contained
in the WMM Starter Pack together with information on project
protocol and mammal identification. If you would like to take
part in the Winter Mammal Monitoring project, please contact
us at mammals@bto.org. |
The type and number of all mammals seen during the sightings
transect is recorded.
|
| 
Badger latrines are one of the standard signs recorded during
the field signs transect
|
Click
here to download the Final Report (.pdf 2.46Mb*)
* Needs Adobe Acrobat Reader - download a copy here
Return to Winter Mammals
home page
|
|