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THE ESSEX NATURALIST
Annual Report of the Mammal Group for 1971
During the year the group arranged six meetings of which
all except the Annual General Meeting were field meetings. Once
again the most successful meeting was a mass badger watch,
followed by a barbecue of some unusual meats, together with
some more normal fare. The group also held its usual work
weekend at Fingringhoe Wick during which time part of the
bunkhouse was redecorated and some assistance given on the dam
project.
Another weekend was spent in Norfolk with visits to Thet-
ford Chase to look for red and roe deer and red squirrels, all of
which were remarkably elusive. A visit was also paid to the Nor-
folk Wildlife Park where most British mammals can be readily
seen. The other outdoor meetings were a dawn deer watch, when
all those present had good views of fallow deer, and a mammal
trapping meeting at the Essex Naturalists' Trust Colne Point re-
serve. This meeting formed part of the Group's policy of trapping
in Reserves and SSSIs throughout the county. The AGM featured
a competition for slides of British mammals taken during 1970
and was won by the County Mammal Recorder.
1971 was a quiet year for the group with some new faces
coming along to meetings and it is to be hoped that they will
stay and play an active part in the activities of the group in the
coming years.
B. D. Eastcott,
Secretary.