The wood mouse is Britain’s commonest and most widespread species of rodent. There must be hundreds, if not thousands, in our nature reserve but they are rarely seen. Here are some of their personal details.
Names: Apodemus sylvaticus, European wood mouse, long-tailed field mouse, field mouse, common field mouse.
Appearance: russet brown fur, notably darker towards the spine, with white or grey underside; very protruding eyes, large ears, long tail.
Size: 81-103mm; tail 71-95mm.
Weight: 13-27g; about the same as a fun-size Mars Bar.
Lifestyle: burrowers, almost entirely nocturnal and terrestrial.
Life Span: few adults survive from one summer to the next.
Diet: omnivorous: seeds, fruit, nuts, and invertebrates such as earthworms, caterpillars, centipedes.
Southwick Country Park Nature Reserve 
Their eyes are so cute and big on their little bodies!!
They might even be my favourite of the reserve’s mammals. One of the wood mice that live in my garden got shut in my kitchen and just waited patiently by the door to be let out.
Oh, that is so cute!