House Mouse or Wood Mouse?

[valleyforge]

Thanks for the distribution map link, Dogghound. Just the clarification I was looking for.

My reference books show only a more southerly spread, so clearly a bit out of date.

[The Woodman]

You can call me Dogghound anytime, Betty.

[valleyforge]

Apologies Woodman ... and you can call me Al.

[The Woodman]

No worries.

[RKB]

Originally Posted by valleyforge

Thanks for the distribution map link, Dogghound. Just the clarification I was looking for.

My reference books show only a more southerly spread, so clearly a bit out of date.

I think the precise distribution is still a bit of an unknown. Didn't the Mammal Society recently have a go at pinning it down? There aren't that many people going out there and checking though, and if the range is changing (e.g. climate change) then it makes it all the more difficult. Some of those outliers on the NBN map are strange, suggesting either misidentification or lots of under-recording inbetween.

[paulinemiller10]

I think some of my wood mice are yellow necked mice, they are larger than the wood mouse, but I would have to get colour pics to know for sure.

I have a fright sometimes thinking I have baby rats, I look for the tail, the mouse has a thin tail, ratty has a thicker tail, I watch them on cam every night, I made an open kitchen and bed for these mice many years ago, I use some of the bedding in Spring for my bumblebee nests, I had a look in the bed yesterday, I lifted the glass top, and a sleepy mouse came out, so I put it back, can't take his bed lol. Pauline.
pic of the kitchen and bed.

[valleyforge]

Originally Posted by RKB

Some of those outliers on the NBN map are strange, suggesting either misidentification or lots of under-recording inbetween.

The Mammals of the British Isles: Handbook, 4th Edition suggests that there's an 'isolated record from Riding Mill, Northumberland, dated from before 1911, perhaps accidentally carried there (specimen in NHM)'.

I'm assuming then that's the northern-most record shown on the NBN Gateway distribution map? If the specimen is in the Natural History Museum, then presumably there's no question that the species identity is correct.

Goes on to state 'Uncorroborated outlying records from Cornwall, Devon, Lincolnshire and elsewhere appear suspicious.'

So I'm guessing the NBN map maybe doesn't represent the true picture entirely either, and that there's a bunch of work needed to fill in the gaps, as you say.

[davemangham]

Thanks for the responses everyone.

Just prior to the photograph the mouse was 'playing possum' in an attempt to avoid the attention of the cat, and remained in a prone position, lying on its' side as if it was an ex-mouse. I managed a cursory look at its' underside and did not notice anything other than a plain grey chest area. I would guess that it increases the likelihood of it being a Wood mouse, rather than a YNM.