Vincent Wildlife Trust

23/06/2026

23/06/2026

Join us this Saturday at the Argus Centre, Selkirk (TD7 4EP) for our Pine Marten Feeder Box Monitoring Workshop on Saturday, 27 June, 11am–1pm, and find out how you can help monitor one of Britain's most endangered mammals.
Led by hashtag
hashtag Project Officer, Victoria Chanin, this hands-on workshop will introduce you to pine marten monitoring using feeder boxes and show how this can help support conservation efforts across the Tweed Valley.
What to expect:
• An introduction to pine martens and why monitoring them is important.
• A short walk to Selkirk Hill to install feeder boxes in the woodland.
• An opportunity to learn practical monitoring skills and get involved in local conservation.
Please wear sturdy footwear and dress appropriately for the weather.
Whether you're completely new to pine martens or already an existing volunteer, we'd love to see you there.
To register or find out more, contact: [email protected]
Project made possible by players of The National Lottery Heritage Fund



Video ©Dumfries and Galloway Pine Marten Group

23/06/2026

Pine martens at Wentwood Haven!

We have just received TWO exciting records of pine martens at our Wentwood Haven, near Newport, which are the first confirmed records on the site since 2022.

Michael Fullagar was walking along the Haven Nature Trail when he managed to take a photo of a marten on the trail near one of our interpretation boards. Volunteer Rosalyn Thompson has been monitoring for pine martens at Wentwood since 2021, but this week was the first time she had a record of a pine marten on her trail camera. We don’t know if it is one or more martens on the site, but we are so excited that they are making a home at Wentwood!

Come and explore! Visit the Pine Marten Haven at Wentwood Forest, developed in partnership with the Woodland Trust Cymru. Check out the wildlife hide and trail and see what you can spot. There are also pine marten silhouettes hiding amongst the tree branches for you to try to spot. For more information, visit pinemartens.uk

The project has been made possible thanks to funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund

23/06/2026

A huge thank you to Clodagh and Eli, who have completed their internship with VWT Ireland! Their final week was spent collecting monitoring equipment, organising and reviewing data, and supporting our team with lesser horseshoe bat summer emergence counts.

We’re grateful for all their hard work, enthusiasm and dedication throughout their time with us — and we wish them every success in their future endeavours!

22/06/2026

The lesser horseshoe counts are halfway through! Every year, lesser horseshoe bats are counted as they emerge from their summer roosts in June. The data feeds into Bat Conservation Trust’s and is used to produce population trends, which are then used by government, scientists and conservation bodies to inform research, address evidence needs and guide policy development.
VWT’s reserves are counted by our amazing network of who generously give their time on nice summer evenings to count horseshoe bats.

12/06/2026

Could you be VWT Ireland's next Mammal Programme Manager and continue the fantastic work for threatened mammals? You will have experience of
successful conservation delivery, fieldwork and proven experience of leading successful projects and programmes. Deadline 5pm Fri 3 July.
More info https://lnkd.in/eH_rrEbz

10/06/2026

Exciting news… the first greater horseshoe bat pup of the season was born at the start of June at our bat reserve in Sussex — and will be flying by July. Although births are getting earlier as the climate changes, it's brilliant to see this small edge-of-range colony thriving in our southeast roost. Sussex Bat Group
Photo taken under licence ©Daniel Hargreaves

10/06/2026

Turn up the volume! We’re excited to share some fantastic news from our project. For the first time ever, we have audio confirmation that one of our den boxes in the Tweed Valley region has been successfully used for breeding.

The footage captures the heart-warming sounds of pine marten kits inside the den as their mother returns from hunting.

The trail camera footage, provided by one of our dedicated volunteers, provides evidence of breeding activity in the area and highlights the importance of our ongoing conservation work.

Follow us and visit our website www.pinemartens.uk to learn more about the project and how we are helping in Britain

The project has been made possible thanks to funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund

05/06/2026

A huge Thank You to all the members of the public acting as citizen scientists during our recent National Polecat Survey — you played a vital role in recording wildlife that can be difficult to survey for by submitting more than 2,300 records! An extra thanks to those who volunteered their time to collect samples from dead polecats. We're busy writing up the report, which will be available this year… watch this space!

Our polecat survey has finished, but you can report polecat sightings to 's Mammal Mapper App.

We are still collecting sightings of pine marten and you can report pine martens here https://arcg.is/L1fG0

04/06/2026

Following recovery from prostate cancer and retiring to Devil’s Bridge in Wales where he renovated a farmhouse, Paul was delighted to discover barn owls in an old barn. Following his passion for wildlife, Paul set up a trail camera to watch the owls and learn more about their ways.

That interest soon expanded from capturing owls on camera to spotting red kites and hares, — and even recording a pine marten, which led him to volunteer with Vincent Wildlife Trust.

The impact of volunteering
Paul’s experiences show how passion and care for nature can turn into real impact through supporting wildlife monitoring, conservation and shared knowledge.

What it brings
• Practical conservation skills
• Access to wild places
• New experiences and challenges
• Strong connections with like-minded people

One of the things that Paul really enjoys about volunteering with VWT is being with “…so many helpful and knowledgeable people, all working together for a common good.”

Today we celebrate Paul and all our volunteers whose time, passion and dedication make this work possible. Thank you.