The Lower Mole Countryside Trust provided funding for volunteers from the Lower Mole Partnership to make dormouse boxes. Brockham Quarry was chosen as the latest site to benefit and 10 boxes were installed during a visit on 12 July 2022.
Hazel dormice are hard to spot – they live high in trees, only come out at night and are also found in very few places in the UK. They build nests out of grass and leaves ready for the female to give birth to up to seven young.
In autumn, dormice start looking for the perfect spot to hibernate for winter. They often choose to sleep in logs or leaves at the base of trees or just beneath the ground, where they can avoid the winter cold.
They won’t brave open spaces and need trees or undergrowth cover to travel between sites. These arboreal corridors are of extreme importance in aiding their spread. Although Brockham Quarry has no record of dormice they are frequently recorded in surrounding areas and the boxes will be monitored and the data added to give a clearer picture of their distribution and inform future management of the site.
Lower Mole Countryside Trust 