North East Scotland Mammal Network

Weasel on the #SmallMammal #CameraTrap recently at Craibstone, Aberdeen.

We record these wee critters pretty frequently this way - presumably attracted by the 🐀🐁🐭 smells.

Interesting Aberdeenshire study about drivers of varying rates of Badger predation on waders.

Infographic listing the 35 mammal species reported.

Sorry for the late update (we know you've all been waiting), but here is the final tally for the #NESMammalChallenge July 2025......35 species!

Thank you to everyone who submitted a record. Please do send them in to NESBReC North East Scotland Biological Records Centre/ Mammal Society.

Red #Deer investigating a clearly not very well hidden #trailcam.

@nesmammals.bsky.social @mammalsociety.bsky.social

This is where a pair of Aberdeenshire #Nightjars are nesting & roosting. Not a great choice -a Red #Deer highway! Lucky the eggs/young didn't get trampled - or eaten by deer.

@scottishbirding.bsky.social @btoscotland.bsky.social @mammalsociety.bsky.social @nesmammals.bsky.social #birdingscotland

A very distant photo of a dappled blue-grey sea with two White-beaked Dolphins surfacing. These are the dark shapes showing their dorsal fins.

Dark shapes jumping at the horizon. The sea off Girdle Ness this evening was heaving with White-beaked Dolphins. Dozens were doing fast leaps out of the water, both horizontally and vertically. Most were around 2-3 miles out but some were a few miles more distant.
#UKWildlife #Dolphins #Cetaceans

That's a July NE Scotland bat full house ♠️♣️♥️♦️

#NESMammalChallenge

A Red Squirrel looking down from a branch.

No prizes for guessing which was the most frequently recorded #mammal last year in North East Scotland. But who else was on the league table of records?

Read our latest blog to find out nesmamnet.org/2025/07/20/2...

If you're prepared to write that species in the annual mammal report...

Only if we're stuck on 30 at midnight on Thursday!

And that puts us on 28 species for July. Three more to go to reach 31 species in 31 days.

Infographic listing the 27 mammal species recorded so far.

Still six days to go and we have beaten January's #NESMammalChallenge total, with 27 species ! Let's make it AT LEAST 31 in 31 days. What could we still get? Common Seal and Porpoise (possibly Minke)? Common Shrew and Field Vole? Any Mink sightings?
Take part over on our Facebook page.

Bat walk Spend the evening watching bats and listening to their calls while learning more about bat ecology and practicing with a bat detector.

Our summer and autumn programme is due out soon and we have everything from Polecats to detection dogs. Our next in-person event is a bat walk at Haddo next month (15 August). Limited spaces, so don't miss out www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1465882286...

Photo: Aileen Salway

#mammal #bat

Infographic listing the 22 mammal species recorded by day 6 of mammal challenge.

First weekend of #NESMammalChallenge July 2025 draws to a close and we have.....22 species. How long before we smash through the January total???

Take part and follow the action on our Facebook page.

Infographic showing mammal species recorded so far on the NE Scotland July 2025 mammal challange

You folks are smashing this challenge! Day 3 and we have 14 species recorded. Keep sending them in, even if we already have them on the list.

Visit our Facebook page for all the latest.

#nesmammalchallenge July 2025.
#mammal

Hmm. Red Deer and a calf on a camera trap from yesterday

I had 5 species of bats last night (after midnight!): Common, Soprano & Nathusius' Pips, Brown Long-eared and Daubenton's.

Inforgrtaphic showing main features of July 2925 Mammal Challange: 31 Days Mammals of North East Scotland Sightings Camera traps Sound recordings

In January, you recorded 26 #mammal species in 31 days - are you ready to smash that in our #JulyMammalChallenge2025? The snow has melted, the bats have come out to play, and someone must be able to record a mountain hare.

Follow the action over on North East Scotland Mammal Network Facebook group.

Spectrogram showing echolocation calls of Common Pipistrelle

Spectrogram showing echolocation calls of Soprano Pipistrelle

Helping record wildlife at our animal care unit at @srucnews.bsky.social Aberdeen campus this week. The two pipistrelles recorded during a night of @openacousticdevices.info #AudioMoth monitoring.

Lots of mature trees and grassland here, so hopefully more bat species to add...
#mammal #bioacoustics

A grey seal looks up from the shadows beneath Victoria Bridge.

A bottlenose dolphin breaches next to North Pier as it enters Aberdeen Harbour.

A fox cub emerges from the bushes into a quiet car park.

An adult fox follows its young out of their den and only the streets of Aberdeen.

Back to normal yesterday, spotting wildlife in Aberdeen. I really enjoyed my time on the Rhine in Germany and the Netherlands but it can’t compete with the Dee where biodiversity is concerned.

Screenshot from QGIS, showing North East Scotland and tetrads with records concentrated especially in centre and east of region.

A perfect wet day for (finally) collating 2024 NE Scotland #mammal records.

QGIS comes into its own for summarising 8,000 records. Big thanks to @fieldstudiesc.bsky.social for their indispensible TomBio plugin. Here showing all recorded tetrads, revealing the unexplored north!

#BiologicalRecording

Leisler's #Bat here in Cults yesterday! Very rare up here, though, oddly, more records from our garden than *everywhere* else in Aberdeenshire! No idea where the roost is.
@batconservation.bsky.social @nesmammals.bsky.social

It has been an amazing few weeks for #Orca in the region and the last two days have provided many people with unforgettable close encounters. We watched this group from a harbour wall yesterday evening - check out the spy hop at the end and turn up the sound to hear the blow.

#mammal #marinemammal

Halfway There: Milestones, Memories & Marine Mammals As this week marks a full year of drone flights for the Aberdeen Marine Mammal Project, it also marks the halfway point in my data collecti...

Read the latest update from Claire's PhD research on Ythan estuary Grey Seals. Includes details of an upcoming talk and on the role of cinnamon buns in helping to sustain seal monitoring.
aberdeenmarinemammalproject.blogspot.com/2025/05/half...

@mammalsocietyyouth.bsky.social
#seamammal #mammal

Last chance to book for Wednesday evening's webinar - booking open to 7pm tomorrow.

There's ☔ forecast, so do the smart thing and stay in for an evening of mammal-filled entertainment.

🦫🦫🦫🦫🦫

Cover of book "Black Ops and Beaver Bombing" by Fiona Mathews and Tim Kendall. Cover features a sketch of a Beaver against background outline map of Britain and Ireland.

We're delighted to welcome Fiona Mathews, co-author of Wainwright-shortlisted book, Black Ops & Beaver Bombing, to give a talk directly after our AGM on 28 May.

Free for registered network members. Non-members pay as you can, minimum suggested £2.

Booking: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/black-ops-...)

In January you recorded 26 #Mammal species over 31 days. Are you ready to do it all again (and smash the total)? Get ready for #NESMammalChallenge July 2025!

@srucnews.bsky.social

Poster displaying impact of research into tourism associated with a seal haul out.

Vote for Claire!

Claire Stainfield's PhD investigates tourism interaction with the Ythan estuary Grey Seals. She is shortlisted for the Scottish Graduate School of Social Sciences Impact Competition 2025, and needs your vote.

Visit www.sgsss.ac.uk/impact-compe...

@mammalsocietyyouth.bsky.social

Five people stood in an open woodland setting, four facing toward trainer who is explained about camera trap workings

Trainer crouched by a small mammal camera trapping box next to miss-covered fallen tree trunk, and two trainees watching on.

We spent last Saturday helping volunteers with the Bailies of Bennachie with some #CameraTrap training.

Really looking forward to seeing results from their #mammal recording efforts.