Press Releases - September/October 2006
Item 8

No. 2006/09/44
3 October 2006

Biting off more than you can chew

Over the years staff running the BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch have received occasional reports of mice becoming caught on peanut feeders by their teeth. Most turn out to be Wood Mice, so they were very surprised to receive this photograph of a Common Dormouse from a Hampshire garden.

Despite its name, the Common Dormouse is a scarce and localised species. This unfortunate individual, found by Mrs Ray in her Petersfield garden, was taken complete with feeder to the local vet where it was freed. The tiny creature was then taken back to where it was found and released in a quiet overgrown part of the garden. Mrs Ray said “The feeder has a cage around it to keep the squirrels off, but this obviously doesn’t work with dormice.”

Although the BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch (GBW) is mainly concerned with counts of garden birds, what they eat and how they use gardens, many participants report on other types of wildlife seen in their gardens. These include: butterflies, moths, mammals, reptiles and amphibians.

Paul Stancliffe, Promotions Officer at the BTO stated, “It is very unusual to hear of a mouse caught on a bird feeder in this way, so to see such a rare species is really amazing. Of course, having 16,000 people watching garden wildlife through the BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch means that we are bound to come across something unusual from time to time”.

If you have a garden, watch your garden wildlife and would like to find out more about the BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch, call the GBW Team on 01842 750050 or write to them at: GBW, Room 44, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU.

Notes for Editors

1. The Common Dormouse does not occur in Scotland or Northern Ireland. In Wales, there are few known populations and in England it has become extinct in up to seven counties (comprising half its former range) in the past 100 years. It is largely absent from the north, except for small populations in Cumbria and Northumberland, and although dormice are still widespread in southern counties (from Devon to Kent), they are patchily distributed. Population densities everywhere are less than 10 adults per hectare, even in good habitats. The dormouse is listed on Appendix 3 of the Bonn Convention and Annex IVa of the EC Habitats Directive. It is protected under Schedule 2 of the Conservation (Natural Habitats, etc.) Regulations, 1994 (Regulation 38) and Schedule 5 of the WCA 1981

2. Dormouse decline. Changes in woodland management practices, notably the cessation of hazel coppicing, stock incursion into woodland and fragmentation of woodland habitats have all been linked to the decline of dormice populations.

3. The BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch. The BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch is the only nationwide survey of garden birds to run weekly throughout the year, providing important information on how birds and other wildlife use gardens, and how this use changes over time. Currently, some 16,500 people take part in the project. The BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch is funded by participants’ contributions and supported by CJ WildBird Foods Ltd and is the largest year round survey of garden birds anywhere in the world. For more information see www.bto.org/gbw

4. CJ WildBird Foods. CJ WildBird Foods is Europe’s leading supplier of bird food and bird feeding products. CJ WildBird Foods has been responsible for a number of significant developments within the bird food and feeding industry, including the introduction of black sunflower seeds to the UK as a major new bird food and the development of specialist seed mixes for use in tubular feeders. The company has also been supporting research into the changing fortunes of garden bird populations, most notably through the BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch.

5. Bird Table Magazine. Information on this dormouse first appeared in Bird Table magazine, published quarterly and sent free to all BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatchers. An annual subscription to the project costs just £12 and all new joiners receive a free copy of the BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch Book (which normally retails for £9.99).

6. Colour photographs. This image of the dormouse is freely available for use in association with this press release. Please contact to request an electronic version. This image was supplied by Mrs M. Ray and must be accredited to her.

7. Bird Information. For facts and figures about garden birds go to www.bto.org/birdfacts

8. Radio Interviews. The BTO has an ISDN line available for radio interviews.

For further information please contact:

Paul Stancliffe on 01842 750050 or email (during office hours)

Mike Toms on 01842 750050 or email (during office hours)

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