Harvest Mice Could Be Making a Comeback

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Ealing Wildlife Group attempt to reintroduce locally extinct species

Ealing Wildlife Group members reintroduce the harvest mouse

The Ealing Wildlife Group (EWG) has been working throughout the summer to bring the harvest mouse back to the area.

The project is one of the first attempts in the capital to reintroduce a locally extinct species.

The tiny rodent species is in significant national decline, due to loss of suitable habitats.

Dedicated volunteers of the EWG, spent time over the summer months running surveys to find the most suitable spots for the mice to be reintroduced, ahead of release. Now, the first group of mice have been released into the wild.

The harvest mouse is the smallest rodent in Europe, and often weighs around only 6g – less than a 50p piece. It lives in long, tussocky grassland, reed beds, hedgerows and around woodland edges.

Unfortunately, these miniature mammals have undergone rapid declines due to changes in land management nationwide.

The tiny rodent has disappeared from large parts of the UK

Harvest mice have rounded hairy ears and golden-brown fur, and its tail is almost as long as its body. This is because it is also the only UK mammal to have a prehensile tail capable of gripping and holding on to grass, sticks and twigs.

The harvest mouse eats seeds and fruits, and sometimes invertebrates. It makes nests of tightly woven grass and are elevated from the ground in long grass and meadows.

The EWG has successfully crowdfunded the project and purchased hundreds of captive bred mice from one of the UK’s leading rewilding experts and set up small breeding colonies of their own. The first cohort of mice have now been set free into the wild and the plan is to release more into the wild over the next couple of years.

EWG founder Sean McCormack said: “Over the last few years, there has been an effort to manage some of Ealing’s green spaces more sympathetically for nature. What this has done has enabled several sites within the borough to now have habitats suited to the reintroduction of harvest mice.”

“The crowdfunding has been a success and now the rewilding programme will hopefully be in the position to help this species make a comeback locally.

“We are focussed on bringing nature back to urban areas and have spearheaded a number of other successful projects in the area including driving the increase in bird of prey species nesting in the borough.”

The £2,500 crowdfunding target was hit within days of being set up and anyone interested in the harvest mice reintroduction project can visit the EWG website for full details.
https://ealingwildlifegroup.com/

At the same time Ealing Council has launched its Biodiversity Acton Plan (BAP). From creating wildflower meadows, to planting trees, building bird and bat boxes, the BAP sets out the ways it hopes to protect and enhance our biodiversity.

Improving our biodiversity through expanding meadows, hedgerows and tree cover, is part of the ambitious but necessary target of achieving net zero carbon by 2030, part of the council’s climate action strategy.

By increasing these green spaces, the habitats of flower and insect species vital to the pollination process and food chains can be protected.

Councillor Deirdre Costigan, deputy leader and cabinet member for climate action said: “I’d like to thank everyone involved in the exciting EWG project to reintroduce the harvest mouse. It is ambitious and one of the first of its kind to be tried anywhere in London.

“Protecting and enhancing nature is vital as we look to build a greener and better borough for residents. Our Biodiversity Action Plan sets out how we will transform parks and green spaces, ensuring they serve both local people and nature in the long-term.”

Ealing Wildlife Group is involved in a number of conservation projects and is always keen to hear from anyone who would like to volunteer.

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September 9, 2021