Image-of-the-Day by Subject

Image-of-the-Day by Subject

Mammals - Voles & other small mammals Page 4

Image Taken on 05 Jul 2020 at 17:36 Image of day on 11 Aug 2020

Here the female Kestrel has caught a Vole on the grass below, and flies to a conveniently shaped dead branch of the tree to eat it.

Ref: 20200811_df3_20200705_1736_160+1737_168+170+171 kestrel female taking vole to tree branch and eating it 05+07-09 of 12 (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 28 Jul 2020 at 17:53 Image of day on 04 Sep 2020

Right outside the Kitchen window this female Kestrel arrives with a Short-tailed Field Vole caught on the ground outside the kitchen window.
On the CCTV record we first see the bird swoop from the Ash tree down to the ground (then out of frame). 30 seconds later the bird with prey in Talons flies up to the perch, flying behind the perch to land facing the camera, as you see here. The bird momentarily leaves the prey laying on the perch and it shows no signs of life. 30 second later it grabs the prey in the talons again and flies off to the left.

Ref: 20200904_e60_20200728_1753_031_fb3 kestrel female with short-tailed field vole in 1 claw (crop 1)(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 23 Aug 2011 at 06:49 Image of day on 14 Oct 2011

We don't often see Voles leaping, but this one is leaping towards camera (hence shadow on stone) and may have been startled the arrival of the Dunnock behind the stone.

Ref: 20111014_d45_20110823_0649_117_fb1 leaping vole in front of stone and dunnock behind (crop)(r+mb id@432).jpg

Image Taken on 22 Jan 2018 at 17:44 Image of day on 27 Feb 2018

Yes - its a Brown Rat.
If a Rat can be 'twee' this qualifies - it reminds us of the anthropomorphic animated film 'Ratatouille'. We are always impressed by the strength of the tail compared to that of a mouse. Wonderful whiskers.

Ref: 20180227_e62_20180122_1744_061_fb5 rat(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 23 Oct 2012 at 22:22 Image of day on 27 Nov 2012

This Rat seems a much lighter brown than the one at site 1 seen the next day.

Ref: 20121127_d5c_20121023_2222_042_fb2 rat(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 25 Nov 2018 at 02:20 Image of day on 12 Jan 2019

People confuse Rats (left) and Mice.
The are actually very different in size, and the Fieldmouse (Wood Mouse) (right) is actually a bit bigger than the urban House Mouse. The relative thickness of the tail is a major guide if you don't know the actual size - the rats tail looks as powerful as it is.
Scale judgement of images is very difficult - we have looked at pics that look like dumped drink cans that turn out to be an exploded factory. :-(

Ref: 20190112_e63_20181125_0220_141+20181124_1926_140_fb1 rat (left) and fieldmouse (wood mouse) at same scale (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 14 Apr 2017 at 22:39 Image of day on 05 Jun 2017

Oh dear - a Rat makes the first of its now annual Spring appearances. Would a Rat attack a young Rabbit - a Google search suggests that the answer is 'Yes', but we saw this rabbit again later in the night.

Ref: 20170605_e62_20170414_2239_118_fb5 rat and rabbit youngster(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 26 Oct 2015 at 22:41 Image of day on 19 Dec 2015

A Brown rat is making occasional visits to the hedge and meadow sites. Here we see it possibly inspecting a leopard slug (with another small slug to the right) and suspect that one or both slugs ended up on the menu. Rat's tail amaze us - real and powerful 5th limbs.

Ref: 20151219_e63_20151026_2241_094_fb1 rat and slugs(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 18 Nov 2012 at 19:50 Image of day on 22 Dec 2012

Rats are strong - this is most of a windfall apple.

Ref: 20121222_d45_20121118_1950_217_fb1 rat carrying apple in mouth(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 27 Aug 2014 at 22:35 Image of day on 03 Nov 2014

Some years a Rat appears for a week or two. Lets hope this one stays in it's proper place - OUTSIDE!

Ref: 20141103_e63_20140827_2235_322_fb1 rat carrying piece of apple(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 01 Oct 2021 at 17:14 Image of day on 13 Nov 2021

For most of the year our photo-sites are Rat free. But each year the harvest disturbs the wildlife and for a couple on months we see Rats at some ground level photo sites.
Is this Rat a gift of nature clean-up squad (outside), or horrible vermin (in the house)?

Ref: 20211113_e6a_20211001_1714_117_fb5 rat looking twee(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 24 Oct 2012 at 19:30 Image of day on 27 Nov 2012

We tend to see the odd rats in the Autumn but so far they have only been about for a few days a year. This Rat had it's foot on a slug, but nevertheless did NOT eat it. Wonderful whiskers on this despised creature.

Ref: 20121127_d45_20121024_1930_256_fb1 rat treading on small slug(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 22 Feb 2023 at 20:54 Image of day on 25 Mar 2023

First a not very welcome night-time visitor at the meadow site - our first Rat for months. Once we have seen Rats we make sure we don't leave out food near the house that they could find.

Ref: 20230325_e6a_20230222_2054_406+2150_405+2057_407_fb5 rat visiting meadow site over 8 minutes (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 16 Nov 2012 at 07:31 Image of day on 22 Dec 2012

The Rat hasn't ventured down the perch before, so we get the first opportunity to compare Rat and 'Tree Rat' (as Squirrels get called!) at the same scale.

Ref: 20121222_d3b_20121116_0731_041+0856_047_fb3 rats & grey squirrel at same scale (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 28 Dec 2021 at 07:08 Image of day on 29 Jan 2022

Our preference is to release live Rodent well away from the house. This one looks like a vole - about a third of the Rodents we catch indoors are some sort of vole.

Ref: 20220129_d36_20211228_0708_044_fb4 release of vole from live mousetrap(r+mb id@432).jpg

Image Taken on 22 Aug 2019 at 02:36 Image of day on 12 Oct 2019

Next night it was the turn of some Voles to be out and about. On the left we see a 'Short-tailed Field Vole' and on the right a 'Bank Vole'.

Ref: 20191012_e63_20190822_0236_298+0559_305_fb1 short-tailed field vole (left) + bank vole (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 12 May 2016 at 12:41 Image of day on 18 Jun 2016

When we lifted a sheet of corrugated iron this Shrew dashed across the front and then moved to the back and buried itself under the leaves. At about 4 fps this montage is a little 'adjusted' to stretch it horizontally, but you should get the idea.
Aren't Shrew eyes tiny even for the size of the animal - a life lived mostly by touch and smells.

Ref: 20160618_df3_20160512_1241_020-023 shrew exposed under corrugated iron sheet 1-4 of 4 (horizontally stretched montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 20 Jun 2019 at 11:05 Image of day on 08 Aug 2019

Opening what we thought was a sealed plastic storage box in a shed we find a pile of bedding made from the contents of the box ( :-( ) and this little guy indignant at being evicted into the nearest wood pile. But not before this photo 'in the hand'.

Ref: 20190808_df5_20190620_1105_032 shrew found in storage box stored in shed (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 14 Jul 2010 at 02:16 Image of day on 01 Sep 2010

Going the opposite way at more sedate pace is a shrew. We rather like the snail in the background NOT taking part in a race. From being a very unusual sighting we have seen a shrew a few times now at this site so it may be becoming a regular.

Ref: 20100901_d45_20100714_0216_050_fb1 shrew in front of snail(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 09 Dec 2010 at 01:29 Image of day on 29 Jan 2011

At the same site after dark we got our first siting of a shrew for many weeks. This is 2 visits about 2 hours apart in the 'early hours' montaged into one image.
Compare the scales - the bottom image is 'zoomed in' about 2.5 times bigger than the pheasant.

Ref: 20110129_d45_20101209_0129_279+0342_282_fb1 shrew seen 2 hours apart (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Backwards

Forwards

Comments and requests for image use

To make a comment, ask for information or to request a full resolution image, send us an email including the reference or the date for the image you are interested in.

All initial contacts should be made using the icon below:-