harvest mouse

…we set out to catch some mice.

It delivered us harvest mice (dwergmuis, Micromys minutus) and common voles (veldmuis, Microtus arvalis)

The common vole is hardly restricted in means of distribution and habitat and inhabits large areas of Europe. As Microtus arvalis followed human civilisation, primary and secondary habitats can be distinguished. The primary habitats are everything but dense forests, such as meadows, heath lands, and fallow land. The secondary habitats are mainly agricultural fields whereby shallow sloped areas are preferred. The natural food of the common vole is grass, but it also feeds on many agricultural crops (within secondary habitats) and here its reproduction is faster than in primary habitats.

Ain’t I cute?

The harvest mouse is typically found in reed beds and crop fields such as wheat and oats. We trapped these in tall grass vegetation next to a reed bed.

Here we let the harvest mouse free on a branch in the meadow.