Anybody out there that remembers this old time classic written by Ronnie Hilton and made famous by Max Bygraves?
I saw a mouse!
Where?
There on the stair!
Where on the stair?
Right there!
For the last three days I’ve been graced with the presence of this little chap. I watch it hoovering up the fragments of sunflower kernels discarded from my feeders by the Bullfinches and Greenfinches.
Field or Wood Mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus)
Did you know that it is thought that the birds weigh each kernel in their beaks? They do this in order to assess whether there is enough weight, hence nutrition in each kernel.
Their lives are so finely balanced that they need to ensure that they would get maximum nutritional benefit to offset the energy expended in the feeding process.
Heavy! Yum! Yum!
Light! Oops!
(Not that the Field Mouse, Dunnocks, Wood Pigeons and Blackbirds mind)
We have mice in our garden, I don't see them so much now we have Lilly, they are lovely to watch.
ReplyDeleteI’m amazed to see this fellow too. At least 7 neighbours’ cats regularly patrol that very spot. They know it’s there or thereabouts. Luckily this field mouse has a fantastic ability to leap quite a distance and there are a lot of nearby hideaways to assist it in thwarting feline endeavours.
DeleteThe idea of birds weighing kernels is amazing. Quite extraordinary!
ReplyDeleteAnd we like to think we are the smart ones
ReplyDeleteI didn't know about the beak weight test. Very clever.
ReplyDeleteSweet little mouse.
Up until I learned this I was puzzled why birds would waste such a valuable resource.
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