There's a mouse about this...erm...garden

As I sat down to a bit of lunch having been enhancing my 'six'-pack (more like a one-pack) with some hearty leaf raking, a movement in my flower border attracted my attention.

Realising that it was mammalian, I engaged my primeval capacity for stalking armed with the ultimate 21st century weapon - the digital camera. And here is what I 'caught' (left).

Now, before I go any further, I readily admit that I am no small mammal expert, my ID skills ranking somewhere just above my ability to recognise contestants on I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.

But based on what I know (and I'm open to challenge here), this is either a Wood Mouse (sometimes called the Long-tailed Field Mouse) or  Yellow-necked Field Mouse. I'm basing that on the gingery colour; that large eye indicating a creature that really should only be abroad by night; those large ears; that rather gerbil-like stance; and most importantly the clear indication you can see in the photo that the underparts are pure white including the chin, with a neat dividing line between the upper and underparts.

Shame I never got a glimpse from in front to confirm whether it had the tell-tale yellowy collar of the Yellow-necked. Either way, it is a new record for my garden.

Whichever it was, it's nice to know that this mouse, which in both species are mainly found in woodlands, is surviving in an area of suburban gardens that is patrolled by probably a dozen cats or more. Unlike House Mice, they are unlikely to enter a centrally-heated house which is reassuring, as they are more interested in eating and gathering seeds ready for the winter.

Come the cold season, a huge proportion of them will die, unable to find enough food to cope with the cold. Hopefully my developing woodland garden and the areas of woodpiles and dense cover I'm still creating are playing their part in giving them a chance of surviving here. And maybe the bit of spillage from my bird feeders is playing its part too!