John's Mammals 2008 (1 Viewer)

Returning to the UK, not much this weekend despite two sessions at Greywell and one at the Moor Green hide. No sign of the Stoat (but I was at the wrong time of day so wasn't surprised) and only three Wood Mice at the hide.

The best sighting of the weekend was a Muntjac crossing a minor road near Rotten Green, just outside Fleet.

John

Arrived at my car this morning to find someone had run over a Wood Mouse in the early hours, right next to it. Shame.

John

Two nights' worth of hide sessions:

Tuesday five Wood Mice wolfing bait, as well as three Roe Deer, Rabbits, Grey Squirrels on the way in and out.

Wednesday one Wood Mouse being very skittish, but an adventurous Serotine Bat on the way in and a big fat Yellow-neck on the way back to the car.

John

A disappointing weekend: Christmas shopping in London on Saturday was supposed to yield and easy House Mouse but a quite thorough search of the Northern and Piccadilly lines didn't produce one. Recent sightings of potentially twitchable ones would be appreciated....

Sunday was just dank, wet and cold and I lurked indoors.

John

Farnboro John said:

Sunday was just dank, wet and cold and I lurked indoors.

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Much llike here, but I lurked in the dank dark forests - one family of Wild Boar, a few Red and Roe Deer, one Raccoon Dog, one Fox, several pairs of eyes shining in the distance ..and one very good bird

Jos Stratford said:

Much llike here, but I lurked in the dank dark forests - one family of Wild Boar, a few Red and Roe Deer, one Raccoon Dog, one Fox, several pairs of eyes shining in the distance ..and one very good bird

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Yes, a pretty special trip, you old gripper.

John

Another hide session on Wednesday evening, two Wood Mice but nothing else. Haven't seen a rat or a Bank Vole here for ages, which seems really odd. Still, there's no accounting for wildlife.

No accounting for weather either - it seems to be fine every week while I'm stuck in the office, then goes to pot every weekend!

John

Hi John,

For what it's worth, you can see House Mice in the indoor primate enclosure at Chester Zoo.

Dominic Couzens said:

Hi John,

For what it's worth, you can see House Mice in the indoor primate enclosure at Chester Zoo.

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Cheers Dominic, James Andrewes told me the same thing: I am just looking for a hole in the diary to go and check it out!

Having commented on the absence of Bank Voles at Moor Green recently, one pitched up on Friday evening. However it was well and truly spooked by flash and didn't return. The Woodies were much bolder - four of them, plus a Yellow-neck - and spent quite a lot of time in the open.

A bonus was a view of one of the local Roe Deer swimming across from Long Island to the scrape by the hide. I was too late noticing and too slow moving to get any pix but I did have a cracking view. I was surprised how high in the water it floated. Grey Squirrels and Rabbits completed the mammal tally for the evening.

Another hide session on Saturday reverted to Wood Mice only: five of them this time.

John

London Tube stations are quite good for house mice, not any one in particular try a few, they run around the tracks, the odd dropped crisp etc. often helps.


Mark

PS Scored again at Sculthore with daytime voles, worth a visit.

MarkHows said:

London Tube stations are quite good for house mice, not any one in particular try a few, they run around the tracks, the odd dropped crisp etc. often helps.


Mark

PS Scored again at Sculthore with daytime voles, worth a visit.

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I have dipped recently at Waterloo Northern Line (which I thought was a dead cert), TCR, White City and Green Park.

However I have a hot tip that Liverpool Street is over-run with the little darlings, so perhaps I will get up there over Christmas.

A Norfolk trip is planned for January and I will try Sculthorpe Moor, but what I really really want is a Harvest Mouse!

John

I am going to try a harvest mouse feeding station, I have a site sorted near me but now I need ideas of how to feed them and not everything else.
Any comments appreciated.

Mark

MarkHows said:

I am going to try a harvest mouse feeding station, I have a site sorted near me but now I need ideas of how to feed them and not everything else.
Any comments appreciated.

Mark

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How about millet sprigs tied onto thin stalks/branches a couple of feet up? It would be no good putting them up during the day (birds) but regular provision at last light might do it.

John

I recall seeing photos of them nesting in 3/4's of a tennis ball on a cane. I think this was in captivity though. I wonder if it might be worth trying that if you can be sure they won't be disturbed?

Almost time to break for Christmas, and I probably won't be back on here till the New Year.

The only recent venture into the field was to Newbury for American Wigeon and I managed to be looking at the wrong lake when it showed. Just before dusk I had views of Red Fox and Muntjac facing off, which was interesting. Both eventually left in the directions from which they had arrived.

A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our readers!

John

Meryy Christmas to you - always enjoyed this thread - thanks for your help too.

To Mark Hows,

Do you have a site where it is possible to see Harvest Mice, even at this time of year. Am very keen to see one by the end of the year, if such a thing is possible?

John,

Another good year of mammal watching really enjoyed this thread, looking forward to next years.

And a big thanks for all the help you have given me this year.

Mark

Better finish off this one before I start the 2009 thread I suppose.

25 December after dark took my new spotlight that Santa brought outside, to show the family how far away I could illuminate houses, and promptly lit up a local Red Fox trotting through the estate looking for turkey carcasses! A good omen.....

27 December. First day of the holiday I could actually get out, so Clare and I followed up the daily reports of Stoats and Weasels at Durlston Country park. It turned out only the warden sees the Stoat - generally at about 0730 before it is light - we arrived at 0830!

C'est la guerre. The morning at Durlston yielded a Dartford, some Stonechats and not much else. For the afternoon we transferred to Shipstal Point, Arne, after enjoying a Marsh Tit in the Arne RSPB car park. The Sikas were one hundred per cent fabulous, settled, placid and allowing very close approach (the notices about the rut and aggressive animals notwithstanding. Please be careful and approach only via climbable trees.) The sun was behind us and the light perfect: it took me a long time to edit about 200 images down to 20-odd!

It was one of those opportunities that is difficult to tear yourself away from but eventually we managed. Sika raised my non-intended Mammal Year List to 49. Well......

28 December. Train to London with Marion, for the same reason, presumably, as Dick Whittington's cat, who clearly didn't care about the gold-paved streets.

We followed up the hot tip I got before Christmas that Liverpool Street is now the place for House Mice. Actually I had a flicker of a sighting at Waterloo (Northern Line, Northbound, North end of platform) before we got there. On arrival at Liverpool Street Central Line, Eastbound, we lingered and had a clear view of a House Mouse sitting on a rail. Unfortunately it ran out of sight before I could get my camera working, so we transferred straight to the Westbound (West end) where we saw about three or four including two feeding voraciously from a dropped McDonald's bag. I managed four frames of these by missing the first train that came in and then we legged it.

I have previously been spoken to by security just because I missed four trains on the trot in order to photograph mice, so some advice for potential viewers. Don't hang about on any given platform. Don't get your camera out until you are sure of a shot, and leave immediately after using it. Sitting on the train just after this, we saw lots of tourists taking pictures of each other (look Martha, this is us on the London Underground) and the driver/guard announced that flash photography anywhere on an Underground platform is strictly forbidden. Ooops!

50 Mammals for 2008 (32 photographed, four ticks). Happy New Year everybody!

John