Havest mouse

Dogghound · #11 (**permalink**) 20-10-2010, 05:03 PM

If the surrounding habitat is arable farmland with good ditch and hedgerow systems, then clearing your garden is unlikely to have large affects on local populations. Of course leaving it would be better for the mice, I would personally open it up and maybe leave an area of high bramble and dense grass for them to live in, depending on if you need the space or not.

Hermit crab · #12 (**permalink**) 21-10-2010, 07:34 AM

Thank you for the 'all clear' on my garden. That is encouraging.
Yes, I'm sorry about the bait traps. There is less grain around than there was. This is not only because I'm not feeding so much to hens, but I have been also very mean with the birds. I have just seen a robin looking hopefully at my kitchen patio area where there is sometmes left over cat food. I haven't put bird food out for a long time. However, clearing produces natural food, so I expect the robin will be around later when I am out there.
I think I must have mistaken the date for the clearance men. This is just as well, because now I'm ready with lots of information and good advice.
However, I do not want to be overrun with rats again, especially since autumn is with us.
The yucca plant belongs to a lady who works in the village. I think I'll write her a little note with the address of this website. It is so good for those of us who are part-time naturalists in a casual sort of way.

Penny Green · #13 (**permalink**) 22-10-2010, 07:53 AM

Hi there, I'm from the Sussex Biodiversity Record Centre and we would love your record please! We only have 103 records of this species in Sussex, ranging from 1960 to present day. They are so elusive and therefore difficult to record, unless of course you find one of their distinctive nests as you have. As Dogghound suggests, try to leave a habitat area for them of bramble and long grass, they feed on seeds (even tiny grass seeds) and berries - just try to do the best you can with the area you have. If you would like to send your record in to us that would be great, please send the location, postcode, date and any other detail to me: Pennygreen@sussexwt.org.uk . Hopefully you'll get to see one of these wonderful creatures one day - the nearest I've ever come to a wild one is a Harvest Mouse bone in a Long-eared Owl pellett! Thanks and best wishes, Penny.