This Bank Vole was the first one of 5 that were caught overnight in John & Nancy's marvellous garden. The target species was Yellow-necked Mouse, which has been caught here frequently in the past, but the only mice caught today were two Wood Mice. The door hadn't tripped on the last trap, but the tooth marks on a piece of apple indicated the presence of a much larger rodent...it might have been a Brown Rat, or else the elusive Yellow-necked Mouse! Nancy raised an interesting question for thought: Why have the Yellow-necked Mice populations seemingly declined in many places when their robust size, vigour and strength would seem to make them potentially more successful than the smaller Wood Mouse?
I'm hoping to add a new 2010 Bedfordshire mammal to my list tomorrow...watch this space!
Good luck Steve, but I don't know the answer, but I do know Bucks has very few records of Yellow-necked Mouse also.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the good wishes. I've enjoyed watching your progress, too. I did consider going for the whole of the country...and may give it a whirl sometime, but it's difficult enough trying to catch up with everything in Bedfordshire! I wish we had as many Edible Dormice as you! :-)
ReplyDeleteHello Steve,
ReplyDeleteI understand regards your lack of Edible D's in Beds ;)
I'm in the same boat when I spot my 'Mink' of the year - happy for a tick! but then the reality sinks in that I shouldn't really see such an animal and I feel more sad!