HARVEST MOUSE (MICROMYS MINUTUS) ACTION PLAN

Compiled By The Wildlife Trust

Lead Agencies Public Sector English Nature

Voluntary Sector The Wildlife Trust

1 INTRODUCTION

The Harvest Mouse is surprisingly adaptable and nest in reedbeds and hedgerows as well as in cropped fields and their margins. The status of the Harvest Mouse is poorly understood, both nationally and locally.

2 CURRENT STATUS

2.1 International / National Status

The national distribution has become more limited this century. How limited, and the current status of the species is not certain. The distribution is believed to be mostly in the south and south-east, but it is possible that isolated pockets of Harvest Mice remain in other areas. The Harvest Mouse occupies a wide range of habitats, but is found most commonly in open reed and sedge beds. It can be found in rough grasslands and agricultural fields but has an aversion to barley. The species status cannot be described as endangered, but it has certainly declined.

2.2 Local Status

In 1995 the Harvest Mouse was found at a few sites including Pitsford Reservoir Nature Reserve and the Stoke Bruerne Nature Reserve. Throughout 1995 the Harvest Mouse was found in quite high densities when present at a site. Nests were scarce in 1996 where they were abundant the previous year. This pattern is probably due to the population dynamics of the species, but it does make defining the current local status of the Harvest Mouse unclear. A thriving population was also discovered at Summer Leys LNR, breeding on islands as well as the “mainland”. Although the islands were completely flooded in 1998, Harvest Mice were still present in October 1999 and subsequently. Harvest Mice have been observed to swim at this site.

The Mouse is believed to be declining in Northamptonshire but there is a lack of data, therefore it has not been given Red Data Book status.

3 CURRENT FACTORS CAUSING LOSS OR DECLINE

· Modern agricultural techniques negatively effect Harvest Mouse populations. Mice will not persist in disturbed, grazed or barley habitats, the later possibly due to the time of harvest.

· Drainage of wetlands for agriculture, removing the favoured reed/sedge habitat.

· Harvesting of crops corresponding to the peak of the breeding season.

· Removal of hay bails from harvested fields after the field mouse has taken refuge here.

· Removal of hedgerows as a site of winter refuge or corridors used to colonise other sites.

· Habitat fragmentation.

4 CURRENT ACTION

· The Mammal Society has now initiated two national surveys. One incorporates over 800 sites and simply looks for the nests, which become more obvious in autumn with the vegetation die-back. The second involves 25 groups in Britain using tennis balls as feeders. With this information the Society hopes to determine if there has been any substantial change in population distribution and enable them to advise on appropriate habitat management.

· In Northamptonshire records for the Harvest Mouse have been obtained via the current mammal atlas survey where volunteers report sightings of the species. Additionally the Harvest Mouse has been specifically targeted for survey in a number of areas including the Stoke Bruerne Nature Reserve and the Pitsford Reservoir Nature Reserve. At Pitsford tennis balls have been employed to attract the mice to feed. Hair samples collected at the entrance to the food receptacles are analysed to determine the identity of the species taking the food. Trip traps are also placed alongside the tennis balls where the presence of Harvest Mice is identified.

5. HARVEST MOUSE OBJECTIVES AND ACTIONS

	Objective	Action	Lead Agency	Partners	TargetS
5.1	Policy and Legislation
	Objective One: Ensure that BAP species and their habitats are given an appropriate level of protection in local plans	Include species protection policies in local plans and/or supplementary guidance	Local Authorities		By 2003
	Objective Two: To develop specific agricultural policies to deliver the habitat requirements of the Harvest Mice	Encourage Dept. for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to require habitat improvement measures that benefit BAP species as part of the Arable Area payment Scheme and other agri-environment schemes	Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group	BAP Partners	By 2005
5.2	Site Safeguard and Management
	Objective Three: Continue with and extend the current monitoring scheme		Wildlife Trust	Calendar Ecology Group, County Mammal Recorder	Throughout Acton Plan Period
	Objective Four: Ensure that land managers are aware of the habitat requirements of the Harvest Mouse and that known sites are managed appropriately	Encourage the management of hedgerows and/or grassy swards at the edge of arable fields as over-wintering sites after harvest and wildlife corridors to enable Harvest Mice to colonise new areas	Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group	Other farm conservation advisors	Throughout Acton Plan Period
		Identify appropriate grassland areas unmanaged eg. suitable road verges		Wildlife Trust, Local Authorities, Other land managers	Throughout Acton Plan Period
5.3	Advisory
	Objective Five: Provide information on the ecology and conservation of Harvest Mice	Provide advice to land managers on farming practices that encourage the conservation of Harvest Mice	Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group	Other farm conservation advisors	Throughout Acton Plan Period
		Provide information to wildlife organisations to improve Harvest Mouse habitat conservation and management practices	Wildlife Trust		Throughout Acton Plan Period
5.4	Future Monitoring and Research
	Objective Six: Determine Harvest Mouse numbers and distribution across Northamptonshire and establish the population trend	Publish the county Mammal Atlas (which will include information on the Harvest Mouse population)	Wildlife Trust		By 2002
		Develop species recovery targets for Harvest Mouse following initial survey work	Wildlife Trust	County Mammal Recorder	2002
	Objective Seven: Establish a long-term monitoring scheme to asses the success of the Harvest Mouse and the effects the current Species Action Plan	Establish and trap on five key monitoring sites with integration of the mammal atlas recorders information to obtain a fuller picture of Harvest Mouse distribution	Wildlife Trust	County Mammal Recorder	Commence 2002
		Follow up initial surveys to back up Mammal Atlas data at known and potential sites	Wildlife Trust		Throughout Plan Period
5.5	Communications and Publicity
	Objective Eight: Provide the general public with access to information to expand knowledge and awareness of the requirements of the Harvest Mouse	Encourage members of the public to become actively involved in voluntary work relating to Harvest Mouse conservation. E.g. surveys and management work, establish a voluntary Harvest Mouse Research Group	Wildlife Trust	Local Authorities, County Mammal Recorder	Commencing 2002
		Increase public awareness via articles in Wildlife Trust newsletter and other local publications	Wildlife Trust		Commencing 2002
5.6	Review
	Objective Nine: Review the plan to assess progress, and where necessary update and amend		Wildlife Trust	BAP Partners	2005
	Objective Ten: Publicise the progress made in delivering this Action Plan in a BAP Annual Report			BAP Partners	Annually

Next Page

Return to Contents