End of year favourites - Shrews

My trail cameras have captured all four species of British mainland shrews this year.  And my shrew of the year is the Greater White-toothed Shrew.

Until very recently we had only three species, Common Shrew, Pygmy Shrew and Water Shrew. Then four years ago the Greater White-toothed Shrew was found not far from here in County Durham.  It was previously known in mainland Europe and some of the Channel Islands but how it arrived here is a mystery.  I set up a camera in Elemore Park and soon had footage of this rare colonist.  You can read the full story here.

The largest of our native shrews is the Water Shrew.  As its name suggests, it is mostly found near water and there is a healthy population in Gosforth Nature Reserve, only a mile from here. There needs to be too as the local herons have taken a liking to them.  One of my cameras recorded a heron (or herons) catching and eating nine shrews in six days in one camera position.

All three native species are found in my garden and turn up in my weasel camera box.  Common Shrews and Pygmy Shrews are both regulars and the Water Shrew which was so active here last autumn made a guest appearance at the beginning of this year, with all three shrew species turning up on the same night.

One camera has been back in County Durham since the beginning of this month so I hope to have more shrew videos soon.