Andy Hamilton and his daughter spot a tiny visitor, on one of their regular nature walks, which leads to more exciting discoveries
“A mouse, a mouse,” our daughter points out of the living room into the garden. Very close to the back door, on top of the compost bin rests a very cute looking wood mouse - Apodemus sylvaticus. He’s holding a small morsel of food and standing up on his back legs. He’s alert and his ears are twitching.
“Mice have got really big ears because they have so many predators,” My daughter tells me. This isn’t a fact that she’s heard. It’s one she’s worked out herself. I’m impressed, but I want to know more. We’ve long since switched places in our knowledge. At seven she knows more than I do about the natural world. We talk about heart beats - six hundred a minute for this little fella.
We look up an owl’s heart rate - 200 beat per minute.
