CAN you spot the miniature Somerset resident?

Somerset Wildlife Trust has been working to improve its Dommett Wood nature reserve for dormice - and that work has already paid off, with three dormice spotted while improvements were being made.

Last September saw the Wildlife Trust receive a grant of £4,150 towards the ‘Enhancing Dommett Wood for Dormice’ project from the Blackdown Hills AONB Sustainable Development (Challenge) Fund.

The project aims to improve the condition of the woodland - which is located near Buckland St Mary - for dormice by removing non-native species such as conifer, rhododendron and Wilson’s honeysuckle, which are not as valuable for wildlife and may out-compete or overshadow other native plants in the habitat.

The work will also thin an area of young trees and remove tree guards from the trees that were planted some years ago.

Thinning areas of woodland allows increased light to reach the woodland floor, encouraging other woodland plants and flowers such as sanicle, yellow archangel, bluebells and bugle.

Allowing the understorey of shrub to grow provides food sources for dormice.

Having a diverse range of ages and structures in the woodland, such as rides, glades, ride-edge habitat, scrub and trees, is also important.

Keeping these different areas of habitat well-linked enables dormice to move from one area of habitat to another to access different food sources and nesting sites - vital for the little mammals to thrive.

While clearing some non-native conifer trees before Christmas, the reserves team were fortunate enough to see three dormice which popped out of an old tree shelter and sat in the branches of the young oak for a few minutes.

Reserves manager David Northcote-Wright said: “We were delighted to spot three dormice whilst carrying out the work.

“Dormouse numbers have declined by a staggering 51 per cent in the UK in just 18 years, so it was fantastic to see that improvements made thanks to this project were already supporting dormice in the area.”

The project will also improve access to this woodland reserve by upgrading the steps from the car park.

You can visit the Wildlife Trust website here to read more about the reserve.