BWC Photo Comp; "JUNIOR" Shortlist

Our most successful photo competition to date has brought us nearly 600 images to look through, something we have all thoroughly enjoyed, and although it has been a very hard task we have now short listed each category down to the finalists. Over the leading weeks up to Christmas we will be showing off all the category short listed entries on the blog, with the winners, runners-up and overall competition winner to be announced early next year. So, with all that in mind, why not start with the category which brought us the overall winner for 2011... The "Junior" category.

This year the Junior category really caught the judges eyes, although still the least entered category, the standard certainly topped what was on offer last year and shows us that there are some really promising budding photographers out there!

"Junior" Short list for BWC Photo Comp; 2012

 "Day & Night" - Alex Berryman - submitted via flickr

 "Synchronised Snakes" - Jaime Holme - submitted via email

 "I'm Watching You" - Alex Berryman - submitted via flickr

"Feed Me" - Izzy Burrows - submitted via email

 "Frog Eyes" - Leon Rauch - submitted via email

 "Vole in a Hole" - Lena Zarkowski - submitted via email

"Otter in Flight" - Jaime Holme - submitted via email

 "Focused Fox" - Jack Barton - submitted via flickr

 "Otter" - Luke Burgess - submitted via email

"Emerging House Mouse" - Jack Barton - submitted via flickr

Good luck to the above photographers, and check back on Monday for the next short listed category.

Harvest Mouse; Conservation

The harvest mouse is mainly found in areas around Southern England and Wales. Other smaller pockets of these animals can be found further North, but these are most likely due to re-introduction plans.

No one can really be sure on how the numbers of harvest mice are fairing in the wild, with often conflicting reports on populations, but it is certainly true that habitat loss and change in farming methods is having an impact.

Loss of or even complete removal of hedgerows is arguably the biggest problem, as these micro mice rely on these for a winter refuge. But the use of combine harvesters can often leave them isolated, and it is thought that these mice are particularly vulnerable to climate change and flooding.

What seem to be the general case is that the areas in which harvest mice are found are declining, however in some of the areas where they still are found their populations are thought to be increasing.

At the British Wildlife Centre we do breed our harvest mice, and many of the youngsters bred here are released out on to our nature reserve.

We are working closely with the Surrey Wildlife Trust, who deem our reserve to be suitable habitat for these elusive mammals, and so are trying to establish a small population out in the reed banks around the boardwalk and hopefully in the future maybe even further down in to the reserve.

Last Summer we released over a hundred mice out on to the reserve, which may sound like a lot, but bearing in mind their short life expectancy we are expecting to have to continue releases for a further year or two to really begin to see a difference.

SWT are helping by monitoring the site for signs of the mice, this time of year and over the winter this is mainly through spotting the winter nests of the mice, and so far the signs are good that there are a few mice out there. This is of course great news, and certainly over the summer months I enjoyed many an evening watching these "wild" harvest mice running through the reeds.

Keep an eye open for them next spring and through the summer, the most sightings have occurred on the left hand side of the reserve as you get down on to the main area of the wetland boardwalk.

Harvest Mouse; Species Profile

The harvest mouse is Britain's smallest rodent, and one of the country's smallest mammals. It's habitat is varied depending on where you find them, but they seem to prefer the lower lands of Southern England and can be seen in reed banks, hedgerows and in or around farmlands.

They do nest in crop fields, but only when there is sufficient winter coverage too such as thick brambles or hedgerows. They will eat a variety of seeds, nuts, berries, fruit and smaller invertebrates.

Harvest mice in the wild will usually only live for a year to a year and a half, but in captivity will last double that. Each summer they can have around 5 litters, sometimes more, of up to 8 young. Most of these youngsters in the wild will of course fall prey to an abundance of predators such as weasels, owls, foxes and birds of prey... but then that is an important role to play in the grand "circle of life"... cue Sir Elton John...

 - A single harvest mouse can weigh only the amount of a single 2 pence coin

 - Harvest mice practically have opposable thumbs on their hind feet, helping them to grip on to thin stems

 - The harvest mouse is the only mammal in all of Europe to have a prehensile tail, acting as a 5th limb to grip on to the stalks they are climbing



The latin name is very apt for this little mouse. Micromys minutus, it describes our smallest rodent perfectly, and I think even people who may have a slight aversion to mice and rats can't help but find this minute micro mouse cute.