Volunteers working in a Lindfield nature reserve have confirmed signs of a rare nocturnal mammal, renewing efforts to safeguard ancient woodland and the wildlife that depends on it. Their fieldwork has shed light on a species that many people assumed had vanished from the local landscape.
What was found in Lindfield
Surveyors at the Eastern Road reserve in Lindfield have uncovered clear indicators of hazel dormice. They detected the animals’ distinctive triangular footprints inside tracking tunnels placed along hedgerows and the woodland edge. The tunnels guide small mammals across inked pads, leaving tell‑tale prints that specialists can identify.
Triangular footprints in tracking tunnels at Eastern Road reserve point to an active hazel dormouse population.
This find follows targeted training delivered to local groups by the Lost Woods of the Low Weald and Downs project, a partnership focused on restoring fragmented ancient woodland across Sussex. The team will now expand checks within the site and along nearby corridors to build a picture of how many dormice remain and where they move.
Why this matters beyond one Sussex wood
Hazel dormice have declined sharply in England, with conservationists estimating a fall of about 70% since the start of the century. The species has already disappeared from at least 20 counties since the 19th century. The main pressures include the loss of traditional woodland management such as coppicing, which once created a mosaic of young growth rich in food and shelter.
Since the turn of the century, dormouse numbers in England have plunged by around 70%, shrinking to scattered pockets.
Climate change adds another strain. Warmer, unsettled winters can interrupt hibernation and drain the fat reserves that dormice need to survive until spring. Fragmented habitats compound the risk, because the animals struggle to move between woods to find mates or recolonise suitable areas.
How the Lindfield search will develop
Trained volunteers will continue to survey at dawn and dusk, focusing on hedgerows, scrub and young woodland. Over the next weeks they will examine fallen hazelnuts for characteristic teeth marks. Dormice leave a neat, round hole with faintly scalloped edges, often with a smooth inner rim created by incisors slicing at an angle.
Next step in Sussex: sift the leaf litter for gnawed nuts that carry a dormouse’s unmistakable signature.
Spotting the signs: what sets a dormouse nut apart
| Species | Hole shape | Edge texture | Clues nearby |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dormouse | Round, central hole | Even, smooth inner rim with fine tooth scalloping | Often under hazel in dense scrub or along thick hedgerows |
| Wood mouse | Irregular hole, often off‑centre | Ragged edges with gnaw marks across the surface | Nuts scattered in open leaf litter |
| Bank vole | Jagged hole, larger fragments missing | Coarse tooth marks, chipped shell | Signs close to logs or roots |
| Grey squirrel | Shell split or smashed | Cracked, broken edges | Debris piles on stumps or branches |
Local people’s role in a species comeback
This Sussex find grew from community training and steady, careful fieldcraft. The Lost Woods programme equipped residents to set tunnels, read prints and record evidence to scientific standards. That approach now lays the groundwork for habitat action with ecologists, such as re‑linking woods with thick hedgerows, restoring coppice cycles and improving scrub layers that provide summer nests and autumn food.
- Report suspected signs to licensed survey leads rather than moving nests or tubes yourself.
- Plant or restore hedgerows with diverse native shrubs like hazel, honeysuckle, hawthorn and blackthorn.
- Time hedge cutting for late winter and keep a tall, wide profile to create continuous cover.
- Create garden stepping‑stones: climbers, bramble patches and unmown edges that connect to nearby green corridors.
From footprints to protection
Evidence from tracking tunnels and gnawed nuts can trigger formal surveys and, where needed, protective measures under wildlife legislation. Licensed specialists may install nest tubes or boxes to monitor breeding, but handling requires authorisation. Data then flow into national monitoring schemes, helping agencies spot trends and set priorities.
Proof on the ground unlocks targeted work: hedgerow planting, coppice cycles and legal safeguards where animals are active.
What the numbers say about risk and recovery
A 70% decline means many woods now hold small, vulnerable groups. In population ecology, tiny, isolated clusters face higher extinction risk because chance events—such as a harsh spring or a gap in food supply—can wipe out a whole site. Corridors change those odds. When neighbouring woods connect, animals can move, mix genes and recolonise after setbacks. Sussex still holds pockets of ancient woodland, so the region can deliver those lifelines if projects link the dots.
Practical checks you can make this season
People living near Lindfield can look for signs without disturbance. Walk established paths and scan low branches for honeysuckle tangles, which offer nesting fibres. Peer at hazel beneath dense shrubs for cleanly holed nuts. Note locations with a grid reference or smartphone coordinates and pass details to local groups. Avoid pruning thick hedges until late winter, especially where bramble, hazel and ivy form a continuous run between gardens and the nearest wood.
What dormice need to thrive
Dormice feed across the seasons: spring flowers and pollen, summer insects, and autumn nuts and berries. They favour layered vegetation from ground to canopy, with safe routes above the ground. Coppiced coupes provide a flush of new hazel and bramble, while mature standards supply blossom and shelter. Management works best in rotation, creating a patchwork of ages and continuous food.
For residents curious about the science, try a simple corridor test at home. Stand at one corner of a hedge and trace an unbroken line of cover from your garden to the nearest tree belt. If gaps exceed a few metres of open ground, the route is risky for a small nocturnal mammal. Closing one or two gaps with a mixed hedge or a climber‑covered fence can turn an isolated green space into part of a living network.
Handling or disturbing dormice is illegal without a licence, so keep efforts focused on habitat and reporting. That still moves the dial. Small actions—planting a two‑metre‑wide hedge, leaving bramble in a corner, letting ivy fruit—add up when dozens of households join in. If the Lindfield prints mark a true return, joined‑up cover across streets and fields could help the population take hold and spread beyond a single wood.
