Mammals

Below is the relatively short list of mammals recorded in the Garden;

Hedgehog, Pipistrelle Bat, Noctule Bat, Grey Squirrel, Wood Mouse, House Mouse, Brown Rat and perhaps a little controversially, domestic cat and dog. And of course Humans (not included on our species list).

Being generally shy animals and mostly nocturnal, photographing or filming mammals is often difficult. We have yet to add species accounts for our mammal species. There is a lot of information online, but as and when we do get good photographs and footage, we will start to add more information. For now our brief summary of the Garden species is below;

The Insectivores: The Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus), otherwise known as the European Hedgehog, has only been seen in the Garden once, and sadly it had perished. This was before the Garden was set aside for wildlife. These days there are lots of suitable places for a Hedgehog to rest and feed and we don’t generally disturb these areas of the Garden during the winter. We do have a little small dog which may scare a hog away.

The Bats: Common Pipistrelle Bat (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) & Noctule Bat (Myotis nattereri) are the only species of bat (of the 18 native species) recorded in the Garden. Identification was done using a very basic bat detector. One of our future projects will likely be the installation of bat boxes, however we have noted a general decline in the numbers of bats foraging along the gardens of our street but can think of no particular reason why this would be, apart from overall decline.

The Rodents: Wood Mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus), House Mouse (Mus musculus), Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus) and the Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis). The smaller three species we know are regular visitors to the Garden and the House Mouse and Brown Rat likely resident in the drains that run under the Garden. Often shunned as dirty animals, carrying diseases and flees, these rodents are none-the-less as welcome in the Garden as any other species. Of all the species of mammals we have seen, the house mouse must be the least concerned with our presence. Sit still for long enough and they will forage around almost right up to your feet, as can be seen below.

The Grey Squirrel had been unrecorded in the Garden for over a decade, despite large numbers of them occupying the nearby Nature Reserve. However on 25th October 2024 we spotted one hoping along the fence line. No doubt after visiting next doors bird feeder. It then scuttled up the Hazel tree before we could take a photo. Technically an alien/invasive species, much disliked by foresters and some conservationists and as we all know displacing the lovely native Red Squirrel. Despite this list of enemies and crimes we can’t help enjoying these little fella’s as they go about their lives. Hopefully this one found some good eating amongst our hazel nuts.

The Domestic Mammals: We have added the domestic cat (Felis catus) and dog (Canis familiaris) to our species list. Perhaps we shouldn’t have, however clearly they are mammals/animals and have a significant impact upon the Garden.

The Missing Species: What may be just as interesting are the mammals not recorded in the Garden, for example the Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) or one of the many species of Shrew. We have found shrews in the Garden, but sadly not before one of the local cats had and therefore never alive or even in a condition we can make a clear identification. Red fox are often at the bins outside the front of our house as they patrol the neighbourhood, but have no reason or easy access to our back Garden.