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Look out for small mammals such as Voles and Mice
in farming areas. We provide some top tips for spotting these elusive creatures
- plus some advice on how to humanely trap small mammals. Ìý | | Wood
Mouse - small mammal watching. |
Watching small
mammals in the wilds can be great fun during the autumn months.
Amongst
the many animals to look out for are the Wood Mouse, Vole, Yellow necked Mouse,
the Shrew and Field Vole.
Vole spotting  Voles
are one of the many small mammals to be found in many farming areas.
Field
Voles can be found throughout mainland Britain except in island communities including
Shetland, the Isle of Man, Isles of Scilly, Lundy and Ireland. They are
characterised by a rounded snout and grey-brown furry body with paler creamy fur
underneath. These creatures are very difficult to see because they are
very nervous, having a large number of predators including Kestrels, Stoats and
Foxes. The Field Vole likes ungrazed
grassland areas and may also inhabit woodland, hedgerows, or moorland. Grass is
the mammal's sole food source so it rarely ventures far from grassy areas.
Look out for 'vole runs', pathways amongst the tall grass that the animals use. The
Bank Vole is found all over UK in field margins, woodland and hedgerows - it is
easily identified by its reddish coat and compact body. Look
out for hazelnuts that has been nibbled by Bank Voles - the teeth marks only on
the inner rim are a give-away especially where the outer surface is left unmarked. For
all their small size Voles are remarkably agile and ferocious in the hand and
will bite and squeal and wriggle with alarming vigour. It's
often easier to hear than to see a Vole - listen for their distinctive sound.
 Fun
activity: Field Voles can be captured in live
traps - no licence is needed for trapping this mammal because they are not a protected
species. However, this activity should only be carried out for study purposes
to minimise disruption to the animal.
One of the most common humane
traps is the Longworth version.
The Mammal Society runs a loan scheme
for traps for its members and also provides advice on humane trapping.
The
trap needs a plentiful supply of bait such as cat or dog food or oats - never
leave a trap for too long and always get advice. Read the Mammal Society's
Mouse spotting  The
Yellow necked Mouse is a large and impressive mouse, similar to the Wood Mouse,
but bigger and heavier.
Mice have pointed noses compared to Voles - they
are easily identified by their large ears, a long tail and protruding eyes. This
mouse also has a broad, richly coloured yellow band across its throat which links
to brown areas on its upper parts. The Yellow necked Mouse eats mainly seedlings,
buds and fruit, but it occurs only in southern England, locally in Wales and along
the English Welsh border. It loves orchards, woodland close to arable field
margins, and hedgerows so these are good places to watch for it, but spotting
them is not easy because they are mainly nocturnal. The mice may store
food in an underground burrow systems can be extensive which have been known to
cover a large area with many different entrances. This mouse is particularly
inclined to visit human habitation with the onset of winter, and its urge to seek
sanctuary around harvest festival time means it merits term "church mouse". The
Yellow necked Mouse can be caught and handled humanely if you're hoping to study
this attractive small mammal. Learn how to do this by reading the Mammal
Society's booklet "Live Trapping Small Mammals: A Practical Guide".
Read the Mammal Society's
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