Tiny dormice have moved in next door to a wind farm in North Wales after ecologists working with power company SP Energy Networks built a community of miniature mouse houses around the site.
A sleepy visitor was found in one of many ‘dormice boxes’ that have been located in the Clocaenog area of North Wales this week to the delight of those behind the project.
SP Energy Network’s North Wales Wind Farm Connection Project is one of the firm’s largest construction projects of 2018. It involves the construction of a 17km 132kV overhead electricity distribution connection between Clocaenog forest and St Asaph, both in Denbighshire, North Wales.
The boxes were installed by ecologists in March 2018, following a consultation to find the best location for them close to Clocaenog woodland as part of the company’s overall environmental mitigation plan.
SPEN worked with specialists from the North Wales Dormouse Project, run by the North Wales Wildlife Trust, and the news of the news residents is being used as part of its overall mapping of the protected species in the area.
Mark Foden, from SP Energy Networks, said: “We were delighted to find a new neighbour has moved in to one of our specialist mice boxes. Checks are being carried out regularly to see if our project is proving successful and when we looked in the other day, there it was. Our checks are carried out during daylight hours and with dormice being nocturnal, our little friend was fast asleep and happily snoring away.”
“We hope to see many more of these super furry animals move in soon.”
Notes to editors:
Further information can be found at North Wales Wildlife Trust.