Thursday 25 March 2021

The Wood-Mouse Apodemus sylvaticus

Last Wednesday afternoon at 5.30pm, I saw the most amazing thing. Two little Wood mice were chasing each other up and down the 6 . 25 meter length of my bedroom balcony. 

There are two large windows, so I had a very good view of both mice, which in itself was amusing to watch, but the one that was being chased suddenly leapt in the air and did a huge summer-salt, then continued running. It was so endearing and funny, that I couldn't stop laughing. They were playing catch me if you can, having fun, and so was I.:=)

I thought it was only in animated films like Disney, that mice did this, but the artists had done their research. Has anyone else seen this behaviour? Sadly I can't show you a clip of what I saw, but have a few photos of a Wood mouse in one of the wooden boxes that I use  as bird feeders. I was so entertained that I didn't even think to get my camera, and they ran so fast that if I had taken any photos, they probably would have been blurry. The next photo is out of focus, but it gives you an idea as to it's size.



The wood mouse has a sandy-brown coat, has large ears and eyes, and the under parts are white. It has large hind legs that help it leap about,  and they are very good climbers, and run extremely fast. Oh yes, they run like the wind.


Their alternative name is Long-tailed field mouse, due to it's long tail that is approximately the same size as the total length of it's head and body. They inhabit forests, cultivated fields, and grasslands, although they are primarily woodland creatures.


They live in burrows, and build nests of grass and other green plant matter. They eat nuts, seeds, insects and green plants in mixed deciduous woodland in winter, bud 's in Spring, caterpillars, worms, and centipedes in early summer, and blackberries and fungi in autumn.



They are clean creatures, and spend a lot of time grooming, and male and female will often groom each other. They wipe their face and ears with their fore feet, and pass their tales through their mouth. They are nocturnal creatures , so it's surprising that they ventured out during daylight. They are native to Europe, and North Western Africa.


33 comments:

MadSnapper said...

I wish I could have seen the chase, i am smiling and laughing just hearing about it.. I have only seen one mouse in my lifetime, it was similar to this one but smaller and more round and the ears were a little different and it appeared in my computer room. they are fast. Bob through a towel over it and set it free... so happy for you that you had free and fun entertainment... maybe they will come back and do it again

Marit said...

They are so cute! I live in the forest, and they live here too. They make a tiny little sound when they play. I have heard them many times. Beautiful photos!

La Biosfera de Lola said...

Sin duda es una suerte poder disfrutar de algo tan maravilloso querida amiga, estos ratoncitos son preciosos. Las fotos son geniales. Besos.

Mike Attwood said...

I love the wood mouse Sonjia. I have lots of pictures of them. Unfortuneatly about a week ago one got in our house and was caught in a trap thar was set for vermin. Living in the country we have one or two unwanted creatures. How the wood mouse got in we don't know but I am afraid it paid the penalty. It will not happen again. Stay safe.
Mike.

Joan said...

So cute!

Ela said...

These animals look so inconspicuous but they can do a lot of damage!
Great photos !
Greetings

LEN said...

How you manage to get these pics amazes me. Do you use a telephoto lens? On top of which I know you are still in pain or are you feeling a bit better? I hope so.

David M. Gascoigne, said...

You had the finest of entertainment right outside your window, Sonjia. No ticket price to pay, not even for the best seat in the house, and a couple of star performers putting on their best show for a very special audience of one. I can't imagine what could be better than that, and I am very appreciative that you shared it all with us. No doubt they are practicing a new routine as we speak, so watch out for the début performance of their latest extravaganza. It might even surpass the last one!

Teresa said...

Me habría gustado verlos correr. Las fotografías están muy bien. Besos.

hmuxo said...

Such a nice story!!! The photography is again beautiful... I don’t like mice but these are SO cute.

This N That said...

I live very close to a corn field so it's not unusual to see a field mouse now and then..One evening my calm was disturbed by Zoey (my cat) franticly clawing at the den window...She and a field mouse were having a "catch me if you can" moment on the window sill..Thankfully, the window wasn't open..Cute Mousie pictures..Enjoy your weekend.

sami niilola said...

Lovely little creature. Have a nice evening.

Phil Slade said...

Hello Sonjia. I imagine that you were very privileged to see the mice doing those "tricks" because mice are very nocturnal I belive. I once found a mouse inside one of my bird feeders where it had climbed in through a porthole. Otherwise, my sighting of mice are few and far between.

Nancy Chan said...

I would enjoyed the mouse chase too. I have seen a mouse or a rat trying to open the cover of a plastic container to get at the food stored inside. They are amusing animals especially in Waltz Disney movies.

eileeninmd said...

Hello,

Oh my, what a cute critter. Adorable photos of the mice! Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a happy weekend.

Mae Travels said...

Too bad you didn’t get a photo of the mice trying out for a Disney film!

be well... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

Shiju Sugunan said...

Cute little thing!

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

That really is a sight to see! It's so interesting to watch birds or critters and learn about their behavior! You really got great photos. He almost looks cute! heehee!

Martha said...

So adorable!

Ana Mínguez Corella said...

So cute!!! Lovely shots... Cheers

Bill said...

Beautiful photos and a great mice story. The visual of the running and chasing made me laugh. Thanks for sharing and have a great day!

Lowcarb team member said...

That chase sounds such fun :)
It is always so interesting to watch critters or birds isn't it.
Many thanks for the photographs and the additional information, which was interesting to read.

All the best Jan

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

I would have loved that! What a show right outside your window Those little mice are adorable! And acrobatic! Reminded me of one time when we were RV traveling and just pulled off on a side road to eat a quick sandwich. We could see a large piece of culvert that apparently had been left behind or fallen off a truck or something, it wasn’t connected to anything. All of a sudden we saw a little bunny run into one end of it... and then quickly another followed ...they came out the end, chased around the pipe quite a few times, reversed track, then back again ,,. this went on for ten minutes or so, we laughed so hard, like you with your little mice... our sides ached! We always used to try to find a spot with a view for lunch on a travel day. Just before the bunny show we said too bad we don’t hav3 a very pretty rest stop today, but it turned out to be one of the best short stops we ever had!

Bob Bushell said...

Beautiful Wood Mouse images.

Jenn Jilks said...

That is really funny!
We've long-tailed jumping mice here. Not on the deck, except in the dark!

orchid0324 said...

Hello; Oh, Your pictures are really BREATHING ♡♡♡ 
So GREAT to see your marvelous shots of critters.
I wonder my comment will be posted correctly (♡^.^♡)



Jeevan said...

That's interesting hearing the tale of their action pack and the nature of the mouse. Of course, the mouse looks pretty clean like you say, and you shot it lovely, which reminds me of the Indian squirrels that I have seen chasing.

Hootin Anni said...

They are amazingly cute. I learned a lot from your post. Loved these photos.

Lasse said...

Oh that was a scene😊 I would have liked to see that!!!

Polly said...

aahh how lovely. Well done for getting such good pics.

Lea said...

Wow! What an interesting experience to see them playing!
Have a blessed day!

Polly said...

PS When I take Rufus for a walk, often he runs round and round and backwards and forwards, I call it his "good to be alive run" maybe your little mice were full of the joys of spring :-)

Debbie said...

i don't like mice but it is a cutie and you got some really good pictures!!

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