In summer dormice mostly live in tree tops and are reluctant to cross open spaces, probably because of fear of being eaten. But in autumn, usually early October, dormice hibernate in nests built just beneath the surface of the ground, often under moss or leaf litter. They remain in these nests until spring in late April or early May
So, local motorway widening scheme, incredably is working around this, first they partly cut the trees next to the motorway only after the dormice went into hibernation and now waiting until the dormice wake up and shock horror discover only tree stumps above their heads and will scamper off to other parts, when the stumps will be taken away too, by when hopefully the dormice population will have found new homes to live in
you can estimate dormice population by counting gnawed hazelnuts left on the ground
