See Vole Patrol 4: Baiting not Trapping

I stumbled out of bed a bit late this morning and only just arrived in time to join the Vole Patrol team. The good news was some sunshine, birdsong (Song Thrush the highlight, with Great Tit, Robin, Dunnock, Long-Tailed Tit) for the dawn chorus, and proof from many of the traps of mammal activity.

Without wishing to get too scatological, a Wood Mouse laid some definitive, er, evidence of its presence on the door of this trap, which does bear an uncanny resemblance to a miniature toilet. There are actually 2 mouse droppings (the other one is on the hinge) in the photo.

It’s  a mouse dropping, not a shrew’s, as shrew poo contains so many shiny, slippery insect cuticle fragments that it tends to fall apart, whereas these pellets have the solid consistency of a mouse’s diet of seeds.

Other traps had had their bait balls eaten (but not the maggot larvae, which shrews would prefer); some had bait crumbs outside their entrances, and others had leaves dragged inside, as if to make a nice warm nest.

Jo took these fine photos a day or two ago. I seem to have enjoyed labelling those traps!