Bedfont Lakes Country Park, Friends of Bedfont Lakes Country Park : Wildlife : Mammals

Many of the mammals present are very secretive and/or nocturnal so they can be hard to spot, but knowing where to look and sitting quietly is very often the best tactic to adopt.

Red Fox – the best times to look for a Red Fox is at dawn and dusk. The wildflower meadows and hills by the railway line are where they are most likely to be seen, as well as the woodland opposite the pier in South Lake. A true scavenger, the Red Fox eats anything from insects and birds to uneaten food left in the park and bins.

Rabbit – Easily spotted, rabbits are numerous within the Country Park. Most of the rabbits are brown but there are one or two black rabbits on the site. It is likely that they are black as a result of an inherited genetic fault known as melanism. Every year there are 2 or 3 new black rabbit kittens around the South Lake warren area. Very few are seen to survive to adulthood. This may be because they are easier to spot by predators.Stoat in the long grass

Stoat – A small, but voracious predator, a mature male is capable of killing and carrying an adult rabbit. They can live for up to 10 years and are able to travel up to 5miles/8km in one hunting session. Stoats and Weasels (also present) are often confused. The main differences are that the underside of a Stoat is a yellowish white, on the weasel it is pure white. Another difference is the stoat has a black tip to its tail, the weasel doesn’t.

Bats - The Country Park also has regionally important bat populations present, of which the Nathusius’ Pipistrelle is particularly rare. In 2008 ours was only the second communal roost site for this species site to be found in England, the first being in Lincolnshire.

Others bats species recorded here are: Common and Soprano Pipistrelles, Daubenton’s, and Noctule, Serotine, and Leisler’s bats. Our guided bat walks on warm, still summer evenings are your best bet of hearing or seeing bats in the Country Park.

The site is also inhabited by Field and Bank Voles too. They are common mammals who like grasslands and hedgerows with dense ground cover, but the Bank Vole also likes woodland. They are of similar size, both around 9-11cm in length, not including the tail.

Bedfont Lakes also has large numbers of Britain’s commonest rodent, the Wood Mouse. These can be confused with both Bank and Field voles. However, they have much larger and more prominent eyes and ears and are a rich chestnut brown colour.

We hope to add some pictures here soon.