who has been eating these? Can you help?

[mike anderson]

At the bases of Hornbeam and Ash I've noticed small piles of fruit stones that have been nibbled away and the kernels removed. I have some pics of blackthorn stones that just about show the teeth marks. Other fruit stones are in the piles. It looks as though there could be holes in the flutes of the trunks above the debris of fruit stones where a small mammal could go.

Can anyone help with suggesting which small mammal might be at work? Thanks in anticipation...

[naturelover]

Hi mike welcome to the site,i should say you have squirrels in your tree.

[The Woodman]

Hi Mike
Small piles of fruit stones with small nibbled holes in are often the work of wood mice, maybe yellow necked mice - depends on where you live. The hazel dormouse doesn't usually eat small fruit stones but sticks to hazel nuts, hence the name.
Are the ash and hornbeam growing from coppiced stools? Old stools are very valauable for our native mice in providing good secure habitat for them. You will often find these larder remains under sheets of tin or other rubbish in the woods where the mouse has taken its meal.

[mike anderson]

Thanks for the posts. The trees aren't coppiced . Since posting my query, I've been doing some other checking and found a reference to these in a book called 'Nature Detective' by Hugh Falkus (Penguin 1978). In this there are pictures of sloe nuts 'chiggled' (a new word for me!) by woodmice. The marks look identical to the nuts I gathered.
I suppose the next question is 'what is the best way of getting a look at these creatures, or even better, a picture?' If anyone has done this then I'd be interested to know when is best (time of year and day)...
Thanks for your help. Great forum and so much expertise that people are willing to share.
Mike