Tiny mice! As opposed to giant wasps and huge bees

[merciasounds]

Just been watching a family of teeny tiny mice on some ears of wheat - the biggest one was about half the size of your thumb - they were so cute really! They were on the edge of the field, my brother leaves a two foot gap between the hedges and the start of planting for the wild life, it's lovely to sit and watch the butterflies, bees and insects on the wild flowers.

[Clanad]

Here in the western U.S., voles are often mistaken for a tiny variety of mice. Voles are quite a bit darker in color than common field mice and they have a slightly larger probiscus... kinda of a protrusion of their nose... They may be considered cute, but thankfully, the barn cat enjoys a hors d'œuvre or two throughout the day...

[jackthehat]

Are we experiencing a localised outbreak of the 'Fotherington-Thomas's' ?

The mice are Harvest Mice...

[cazzz1975]

Mice are incontinent

[mummyh]

not to mention filthy, leaving their poo everywhere...

[rowanwitch]

but cute in the right place...

[Barmaid]

Not being crunched under your bed at 4am they aren't.

[merciasounds]

well, the mice were in a field......so are some humans cazz

[cazzz1975]

On average, You are only six foot away from a rat at any time in this country

[Barmaid]

Yeah, mine is sitting on the sofa next to me.

[cazzz1975]

I hope the humans are continent :)

[Barmaid]

When I was still on the farm we used to open the doors of the empty grain bins and shoot the rats in there. Made one helluva racket (and a mess!).

[LoftyLottie]

Actually mercia 2' is a very small strip for wildlife. Our local farmers have started to leave really wide verges. I have a wide verge behind our garden on the other side of the drainage ditch, then a large field and then a wood, and yes it is lovely to sit and wacth the wildlife.

A I love the little harvest mice too. It's only mice in the house I don't like.

[merciasounds]

It's planting fields he leaves 2 foot, there are whole fallow fields lofty. there wetland too

[notasyoungasiwas]

That sounds lovely Mercia - wildlife heaven. I was walking along the river yesterday when I was 'buzzed' by the most amazing dragonfly, it was huge and I stood and watched it for ages, even though once or twice I thought it was going to alight on me !

[Barmaid]

What does he grow farm, Mercia?

[Barmaid]

lol, I meant "what does he grow/farm, Mercia".

[nannybooby]

we plant for bees and birds too , and like to watch them nthgarden. we are lucky enough to have a small family of shrews in our tiny back garden and we love to watch them - it drives our girl yorkie mad as she knows something is out there and snorts around the dry stone wall where they live given half a chance.

[LoftyLottie]

These are planting fields I am talking about Mercia. East Anglia doesn't have much else. Lots of the farmers are leaving about 10' plus field margins now. There is some sort of financial advantage I believe. it has made a huge difference to wildlife and even our grass verges on the roadside are not being cut as far in as they were - just enough to make driving safe. A good step forward (or backward, actually) Back towards how it used to be!!

[merciasounds]

Like little helicopters they some of these dragonflies! They have beautiful irridescent wings. I've seen lacewings, shield beetles, loads of butterflies, bees, bumble bees, ladybirds, rabbits galore, field mice, grass snakes, and a blackbird sang to me all through lunch

[Barmaid]

My father used to do that Lofty. he took the view that he never got good yields from the headlands anyway. Plus he had two daughters who wanted to ride horses and it was the only way to stop us riding across his fields!!!!