Wood Mouse in the Common

Wood Mouse Encounter

Barrow Common is a large undulating patch of predominately grassland and gorse, and is home to a diverse range of wildlife.  Birds I've seen on my visits include yellowhammer, marsh harrier, buzzard and kestrel.  Turtle doves now breed here, but I haven't been lucky enough to see one just yet.  You can also see a loads of butterflies and solitary bees, lizards and lots of small rodents like the wood mouse below.

Wood mice are found in woodland, as the name suggests but are also known as field mice and are widespread on grassland and agricultural land.  They are mostly nocturnal but come active an hour or so before sunset.  This mouse I found was a youngster, and really quite friendly, but they are known to be less flighty than most rodents.

Juvenile Wood Mouse

The above image was created using the Olympus E5 body, still going strong, handheld with the Sigma 105mm F2.8 macro lens, 1/125, 105mm, ISO125 at F/11.  Light was fading in the evening and shot in medium under growth.

The focus point was just below the ear in the centre of the frame, and F/11 meant that all of the head and eye was then in focus.

Fill-in flash was used to light the shadows given then lack of natural light in the evening and the closeness to the subject.