Up at the Big House

Well the Field Mouse count stands at 17 right now.

The remover of the dead ones showed up quickly this morning. I arranged the Field Mouse on the path, and watched while I had my hands in the sink doing yet more washing up. I don't rally mind washing up Radio 4 in one ear the garden and wild life to watch, well there are worse things.

He appeared on the fence, a Magpie, he hopped down to the path and took the Mouse in his beak. With that he hopped down the garden and across to the row of Parsnips. I expected him to tuck in on the path or take the meal away for eating. No, with just two head actions he hid the body under the Parsnip leaves and flew off.

Typical Magpie behaviour, storing things away. Next he headed for my compost heap and made a check there, initially I was putting the Mice onto the heap, after a while they started to disappear, the boy has a memory but then he needs one to remember where he hides his supper.

The Field Mouse count stands at 15 tonight. I have a new way of disposing with the corpses, I display them lifelike on the garden path. Within minutes they have gone. I have not seen them go, I suspect it is Crows that take them.

I picked several Tomatoes today, the early frosts will mean that the crop is not good. My experiment with late Toms was delayed by the Toxic Compost I picked my first one on the last day of October, 6 weeks later than I wanted.

Of course it had to pose for a photo.

I know they are around, the stones from fallen Plums get stored in little corners. Plum Stones with holes nibbled in are strewn here and there. When I sow Broad Beans in trays in my Greenhouse a small percentage vanish overnight leaving a small hole in the compost.

Early this year a tunnel appeared (mouse size) among some Rhubarb, running some 2 feet under the Greenhouse wall to emerge inside. I tolerate a little theft, they have their place in nature.

In the Autumn they often search for warmer Winter quarters and I tend to set a trap in my Garage baited with Belgian Dark Chocolate. It is a really good bait, hard, it never goes off, the same Little Finger Nail size piece I lost the other day was at least 6 years old and had tempted some dozen mice to their demise.

Come this time of year I picture a family of Beatrix Potter Mice, bonnets, suitcases and all, coming down the road from the country looking for a cosy spot. Why do they pass a few other houses and cross a road before Papa puts down his cases looks down my drive and says 'how about this one dear'?

Two weeks ago I noted soil coming from under a fence post which is screwed to my neighbours garage wall so doesn't quite reach the ground. I suspected Mouse activity, there is a difference in levels so they would have a tunnel system under paving.
I took a palm size stone and rammed it in the hole with a steel rod before we went off for a week.
Upon our return the stone was out and much more tunnelling spoil was spread around. This is just outside my Conservatory door too close for comfort. Here Beatrix Potter pictures end.

I set my trap near, covered by an upturned tub and a rock to stop it blowing away. Next morning I lost my Belgian Chocolate, there was a Field Mouse in the trap. French Dark Chocolate works just as well, day 2 another Mouse, same knob of choccy. Day 3, 4, 5, the same until this morning when I saw as I opened the door, a mouse scuttle from under the tub back into the tunnel.
So no catch last night? yes there was and he had been eaten starting at the eye. A quick check on Google and it seems Cannibalism is common in Mice. They don't kill each other for food. A dead Field Mouse that died in a fight, or a trap it seems, may well be eaten starting with the brain.

................"You know, if you you die I shall eat your brain"...............

So now that is 7 I have seen, I wonder how many there are, too many definitely, and too close for comfort. Sad but gardening is like that at times.