Category Archives: mammal

Cute but deadly

23 Wednesday Mar 2022

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One of the many disadvantages of the huge accumulations of rubbish in Cardiff Bay is that these areas provide perfect homes for predators like this Mink. It was weaving through the logs and tyres and other assorted junk, popping its head up here and there, almost like it was playing hide and seek. It was fascinating to watch, of course, but it will prove deadly for any unsuspecting wildlife that nests or even snoozes in the area.

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This is not a native species; it’s an American mink (Neovison vison), whose ancestors escaped or were deliberately released from fur farms around 70 years ago (they were first recorded breeding in the wild in the 1950s). They are the reason why Water vole numbers plummeted in the 1990s, and have caused huge damage to bird populations in various places (the Mammal Society website has more information). A creature that’s cute but also deadly.

220323 mink (1)

V is for vole

27 Monday Dec 2021

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Only one animal has featured in this countdown to date so I decided we needed another, and what better than a cute little Ratty – Water vole, that is, not Brown rat, though I see rather more rats than Ratties these days. If you’ve been following along here for a while you may remember this handsome little beastie that was munching away on reeds in the brook at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park back in May.

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F is for fox

11 Saturday Dec 2021

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Though often more common than we realise, especially in urban locations, the fox is still quite an elusive creature, and I’m seldom lucky enough to see one – or, if I do, it’s often just a fleeting glimpse as one crosses my path in the distance (as happened back in July). Better those fleeting glimpses though, than the sight of a dead fox lying beside a busy road (as happened very recently), which is very upsetting to see.

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Sick rabbit, dead fox

30 Tuesday Nov 2021

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During Sunday’s walk I came across this very sick-looking rabbit, sitting at the end of a local no exit road. I don’t think it had been hit by a car – no obvious signs of injury, and I doubt it had myxomatosis – eyes clear and bright. But, later, on Twitter, a contact suggested it might have had RVHD2 (rabbit viral haemorrhagic disease) as that often shows no outward signs. The only positive thing about that diagnosis is that the rabbit usually dies quickly, instead of suffering the horrific lingering torture of myxomatosis.

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Monday’s walk took me round various Cardiff streets on the hunt for particular leafmines (more on that next Monday) and, sadly, this time I found a dead fox. In this case, I think the poor creature probably was hit by a car as it was lying just off the verge of a very busy road.

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I was almost dreading what today’s walk might bring but I’m extremely relieved to report that I found nothing injured or deceased!

Opportunists

17 Wednesday Nov 2021

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The rat population at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park is thriving thanks to the generosity of those folk who leave seed for the birds. The rodents are fearless opportunists and extremely cheeky, approaching to grab their share of the bounty even before people have stepped away, but they do at least share the seed with the birds. The rats stuff their mouths full of seed and scuttle away, whereas the squirrels monopolise the seed, staying put and not allowing the birds to approach.

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Shrew, deceased

02 Thursday Sep 2021

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It almost looks like it’s sleeping, recovering from scurrying rapidly about by taking a short nap on the warm bare earth … but no. A tiny four centimetres in length, furry tailed and the tail about two thirds the length of its body so, I think, a Pygmy shrew. The words from a Neil Young song spring to mind: ‘It’s better to burn out than to fade away’ – this little shrew lived, and died, those lyrics.

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Mole paws

02 Monday Aug 2021

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It’s always sad to find a dead creature (and this was only my second ever Mole sighting, both dead) but it was a chance to take a closer look at one, in this case at its amazing front paws.

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These are highly specialised digging tools, of course, but I’ve only just found out while researching this post that Moles have an extra thumb, called a prepollex, though it’s not really a thumb but rather an extended wrist bone. As the Live Science website explains:

the mole’s extra thumb sprouts from a bone in its wrist, with the thumb-bone growing parallel to the “normal” inner thumb; but that’s where the similarities stop. The outer thumb doesn’t have any moving joints, consisting of a single, sickle-shaped bone that develops later than the inner thumb and the rest of the mole’s fingers.

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As the extra bone is rigid and extends the width of the Mole’s palm, it is thought to help this little mammal dig its underground tunnels more efficiently. Amazing!

Baby bunny

26 Saturday Jun 2021

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It’s not only birds you can see from a bird hide. When I enjoyed my first (post-lockdown) wander in 18 months at Forest Farm Nature Reserve yesterday, I naturally visited both bird hides to see what was about. I didn’t venture inside the hides, thought it safer to peer through the slots in the tall fences on either side, and, though I did see one particularly beautiful bird, it was actually the family of young rabbits that held my attention. This little cutie was adorable. Those ears!

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