It is three years this month since the presence of dormice in Norsey Wood was confirmed. Following anecdotal and historical reports, the Warden and volunteers put up about 25 boxes during summer 1998 in two adjacent areas, one coppiced in 1995 and the other uncoppiced. Checks at the end of the following year found a number of nests, and one dormouse was seen. Following that, more boxes were put up, usually in clusters of 10, in areas of the Wood of different coppiced age; by Spring 2000 there were about 100 boxes in the Wood. Another 10 were installed in Spring 2001 in an area coppiced in 1999.

At the time of writing, the end of November 2002, the season for monitoring dormice is coming to a close. This year for the first time the dormouse population in Norsey Wood is being monitored under the National Dormouse Monitoring Scheme. The aim of this programme is to collect long-term data about the annual variation in the times and success of breeding and population density in different habitats and geographical areas. Across Britain about 175 woodlands are participating, but Norsey is only the second in Essex. To join the scheme, a woodland must have at least 50 dormouse boxes. These are checked at the same time each month between May and October, although checks in April and November are also desirable. All findings are recorded - whether the box is empty, contains a dormouse nest, has dormice present or has been used by some other animal or a bird. When dormice are found they are weighed and sexed, and their breeding condition is noted, as is the developmental stage of any young. It is also recorded whether they are torpid or active. Over successive years this information can be used to study the size, location and breeding success of the population. By using a standard method of monitoring, comparison can be made between years and also between different woodlands.

Up to October 2002, a total of 22 boxes have been occupied, 10 by a female with young. Numbers ofjuveniles have ranged from one to five. The percentage of boxes occupied ranges from 0% in the new 1999 coppiced area to 50% in a compartment coppiced seven years ago. Two areas where nests were found last year have not yielded any records so far this year. Some areas are sub-divided into compartments of different age coppice, and dormice have been found in compartments where they have not previously been recorded. With the November check still to be completed, it is not possible to come up with final figures, but it would seem that numbers are good.

It will be interesting to see how, over the years, the pattern of the population and distribution changes as some coppiced areas become old and new ones are created.