The aim of the Cheshire Mustelidae Project is to encourage and coordinate recording for this suite of wild mammals within the region, and to share views, sightings, maps, photographs, videos, ideas, and recording tips that will benefit members of the group in their recording, and ultimately benefit the target group through having a better understanding of their distribution and conservation requirements. Please send records to our local records centre rECOrd, or you can submit non-confidential records through the Facebook page Cheshire Mustelidae or download a recording app such as iRecord.
The recording area includes old Vice County VC58 plus the administrative areas of Halton and Warrington
The largest and possibly the most easily recognised of our mustelids, the badger, has a dedicated group – The Wirral and Cheshire Badger Group – recording and attending to current issues concerning this animal, and though we welcome images and anecdotes, in depth analysis regarding this animal’s fortunes may be left to the badger group.
We make no apology for purposely biasing all elements of this topic wherever we can towards Cheshire, whether it be sightings, anecdotes, pics and footage, and historical reports. All of the other stuff such as UK distribution, biometrics, ecology etc are available in so many wonderful publications out there...here are a few:-
Britain's Mammals: A Field Guide to the Mammals of Britain and Ireland
by Couzens, D.; Swash, A.; Still, R.; Dunn, J.L.
by Couzens, D.; Swash, A.; Still, R.; Dunn, J.L.
Collins Field Guide to Mammals of Britain and Europe
Macdonald, D.; Barratt, P.
Macdonald, D.; Barratt, P.
Mammals of the British Isles: Handbook Hardcover – 31 Mar. 2008
Harris, S.; Yalden, D.
Mammals of Britain - Their Tracks, Trails and Signs
Lawrence, R.W.; Brown, M.J.
Harris, S.; Yalden, D.
Mammals of Britain - Their Tracks, Trails and Signs
Lawrence, R.W.; Brown, M.J.
So what animals make up our interest group? Let’s call them the magnificent seven: an easy way to remember them is by using the acronym PAWSFOB.
Polecat - American Mink - Weasel - Stoat - Ferret - Otter - Badger
Our next task is to update distribution maps and get more Mostelas out there, so please bear with us as it is a somewhat labour intensive task to undertake. In the meantime, have a look at some images of the county's habitats.
Much of Cheshire's industry lies on the Northern boundary between Ellesmere Port and Runcorn
A snowy landscape showing connectivity around a farm
Drystone walls take over from hedgerows as boundary features in East Cheshire
One of the many commercial fishing sites within the county
The River Gowy at Hockenhall
Looking North up the Dee estuary