The mice capture work has been completed by Fraser Dodds (Wildlife Park), with help from Jim (NTS volunteer). Fraser left the island with the remaining mice on Thursday 3rd November. There had been 158 mice caught in total.
Rat trapping also been completed (with the exception of four traps outside the tearooms). To date 69 rats have been caught. The rats have been dissected and the following tables show the results. Trapping was being undertaken to confirm the species present on the island and to determine stomach contents, parasite loading and breeding status. Only brown rats have been caught on Canna. Two trap designs were also tested (T-Rex traps and Little Nippers), with both catching a similar number of rats.
Table 1. Results of rat trapping on Canna: 26 August and 6 November 2005.
|
TOTAL NUMBER OF RATS
|
FEMALES
|
MALES
|
PREGNANT FEMALES
|
JUVENILES
|
ADULTS
|
|
69
|
29 (42%)
|
40 (58%)
|
7 (24%)
|
22 (32%)
|
47 (68%)
|
Table 2. Stomach contents of rats trapped on Canna: 26 August-6 November
|
CONTENTS
|
TOTAL RATS
|
MALES
|
FEMALES
|
|
Invertebrates
|
27 (39%)
|
11
|
16
|
|
Earthworms
|
11 (16%)
|
5
|
6
|
|
Seeds
|
41 (59%)
|
24
|
17
|
|
Vegetation
|
29 (42%)
|
18
|
11
|
|
Fur (pygmy shrew/wood mouse)
|
18 (26%)
|
11
|
7
|
|
Seaweed
|
9 (13%)
|
4
|
5
|
|
Shellfish
|
10 (14.5%)
|
4
|
6
|
|
Crustacean
|
1 (1%)
|
-
|
1
|
|
Feathers
|
2 (3%)
|
-
|
2
|
|
Bones
|
10 (14.5%)
|
7
|
3
|
|
Blood
|
7 (10%)
|
6
|
1
|
|
Flesh
|
8 (11.5%)
|
6
|
2
|
|
Scavenging waste (bread, rotten eggs, cheese, peanut butter etc.)
|
8 (11.5%)
|
6
|
2
|
|
Plastic or Pebbles
|
3 (4%)
|
3
|
-
|
|
Bait
|
3 (4%)
|
2
|
1
|
Bait was delivered to Sanday and moved into depot sites on Monday 31 October and Tuesday 1 November. A full briefing was held on Tuesday 1 November. This covered safe bait handling, work programme for the poisoning phase of the project and general health and safety procedures. Bait was put out over three days, from Wednesday 2 to Friday 4 November. All stations now contain 10 blocks of Ditrac™ bait. It is planned to check all stations twice a week (weather dependent).
The weather improved this week, with no days affected, although rain and strong winds occurred on Monday 31st October. Two lots of community activity this week – the school’s Halloween party on Monday 31st October and Guy Fawkes bonfire and fireworks on Saturday 5th November. Antony Williams and Anne Ooms (all NTS volunteers) and Philip Bell (WMIL) arrived Tuesday 1st November. Romy Dewar (NTS volunteer) departed on Saturday 5th November.
