Our trappers were grateful for the relative lack of April showers, for the warmer and clearer weather – and for an increased catch of stoats compared to this time last year.
We again caught fewer stoats than the previous month, as is to be expected in a season where breeding females are ensconced in their dens – but the number of stoats removed across the whole trapping zone rose by five from April 2025. Against a backdrop of decreasing numbers of stoats, this is a real credit to our trappers’ hard work. Our team also carried out response trapping in key areas of stoat habitat and have been trying out new trap housing designs suited to different landscapes and environments.
Altogether, the ONWP removed 20 stoats, responded to 21 sightings, and laid 172 new traps across the Mainland and the linked isles.
The colour yellow
Just in time for the summer collection, we’re rolling out a new set of trap cases!
You might have noticed some slightly unusual new trap housings appearing around Orkney. These are a new case model, called the NestGard, which we’ve recently acquired from New Zealand.
The NestGard housings are tough, streamlined, and designed to hold up against even the harshest weather conditions. There are even some studies from overseas suggesting that stoats could possibly be attracted to their yellow colour.
You may begin to see these traps across the Mainland, particularly in East Mainland, as we use them to help remove the remaining stoats.
Grand opening
We were also delighted to help open a new exhibit at the Orkney Museum this weekend!
Unnatural Arrivals – The Stoat Crisis in Orkney will run from 9 May to 22 June. Bringing together artwork and science education, the multimedia exhibit uses painting, sculpture, photography, textile arts and more to explore the impact of invasive stoats on the islands’ nature. Tackling broader questions about conservation, coexistence and change, we hope that Unnatural Arrivals will bring awareness of the project’s achievements to a wider audience.
Donations are more than welcome, but the exhibit will be totally free of charge! It can be found at the Orkney Museum, on Broad St, Kirkwall, KW15 1DH.
Vole volunteers
In other news, we’d like to give a heartfelt thanks to all the volunteers who’ve been taking part in the annual vole survey in recent weeks. Gathering vole signs can quite a task, involving early rises and long trips across Orkney’s fields and wetlands, and we’re grateful to everyone who’s given us their spare time for it.
The spring vole surveys are now completed, and we’re sure to learn a great deal from the information gathered. Our wader surveys are now beginning, and volunteer applications remain open for people who’d like training to take part in next year’s surveys!
If you’re interested, please apply at the following link: https://volunteer.rspb.org.uk/opportunities/74712-surveyor-not-on-a-reserve-orkney-local-nature-conservation-sites
