Harvest mice in Cornwall
How does the management of farmland and the quality of hedgerows affect harvest mouse distribution?
Harvest mice are mainly found in cornfields, hedgerows, reed-beds, bramble and long grass. Very little is known about their national status but it is thought they are now rare having suffered a decline over the last 40 years.
Harvest mice are the smallest rodents in Europe and the only British mammal to have a prehensile tail.
PTES is funding intern Ali North, supervised by University of Exeter, to investigate how harvest mice are affected by farming practices. So far, very little is known about this subject.
Ali will survey farms across Cornwall for harvest mouse nests as well as recording information on land use, landscape features and vegetation. Any conclusions on how farming practices and habitat characteristics can benefit harvest mice will be published and made available to landowners, conservation organisations and other interested or influential parties.
In addition to the conservation outcomes Ali will gain new surveying skills, develop scientific reasoning and expand her professional network, standing her in good stead for a future in conservation.