The Daily Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 3168 by Angharad Copyright© 2017 Angharad

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This is a work of fiction any mention of real people, places or institutions is purely coincidental and does not imply that they are as suggested in the story.
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One of our most recent sites for checking dormice is on a nature reserve run by the local wildlife trust. I helped with siting the nest boxes and tubes. I’ve mentioned before that they’re like back to front bird boxes, with the entry hole against the tree or nearly, there’s usually two strips of wood to hold it an inch or so away from the tree and enable dormice and other things to get in there. Sadly, that can mean things like wood mice, Britain’s most common mouse, some suggest the most numerous rodent, though that could be a toss-up between it and the two most common voles, the bank vole and the field vole.

We’d arranged a dormouse check the next morning after the exam cheat business, and as we were initiating some new checkers, I decided I’d like to be there, checking the way they were taught. We can all develop bad habits and I want no escapees if possible, which is very unlikely as some dormice could give lessons to Houdini, but if we all do the checks properly, it minimises the risk.

I set the meeting time for nine o’clock and there wasn’t any demur by the others, which I knew would give me just enough time to drop the girls off and get to the site. Of course there were questions about why I was wearing my fieldwork clothes, some cargo trousers, a checked long sleeved shirt and my old Barbour jacket (it’s pretty well thorn proof), and carrying my knapsack, which just happens to be in a camouflage material. It weighs quite a lot because inside is, a coil of wire in case any of the closing wires are broken, or any of those securing the boxes to trees or posts have bust—they do. I also had wire cutters and some pliers, in the form of a decent multi-tool thing, so the pen knife on it was good as well. Then I had a large clear plastic bag, which is sold for the purpose of exploring dormouse boxes and tubes; a small plastic bag which is used for weighing any mice we catch and which has already been pre-weighed and the value written on the bag—saves time when you actually have a dormouse either in the hand or the little bag. A notebook and a pencil. The notebook is one of the waterproof ones which Danielle gave me for mothering Sunday, so requires a pencil to write in it as pen doesn’t work.

I have some plasters and hand disinfectant gel to deal with minor cuts and scratches, an LED torch, some of the boxes can be dark inside, a bung—a cloth to shove in the entry hole if we take the box off a tree—some string, comes in handy for all sorts of things, some secateurs for pruning troublesome bits of shrub or hedge—usually brambles, my 50g spring balance in its little case, some tissues and some handwipes and finally, a bottle of water. I also have a flask of hot water and some milk and tea bags in the car. I take a hat with me, as well as my camera and binoculars and some sun screen and in my pocket my mobile phone and some money. Around my neck I have a x10 hand lens on a lanyard. In another bag I have my gore tex walking boots and gaiters.

Of course there were groans that they had to go to school while I was having fun—I didn’t mention that I was also being paid for it, it would have created a riot. I also didn’t mention that the day after I would suffer in a university council meeting, for which they didn’t pay me enough.

I dropped off the car full of dissenters, waved them all goodbye and drove off to Milligan’s Wood, a local nature reserve listening to the car radio which was tuned to Radio 4 as I caught up on the news.

I have probably only been to this reserve about three times. It’s about a hectare in size on the edge of fields and a woodland, with a bridle path separating the fields and the reserve. There’s a lay-by next to it which is useful for parking and I prepared myself to demonstrate my poor parking skills. There would be six of us, so a maximum of six cars probably more like three or four so I was somewhat shocked when I saw the lay-by full of cars and yet more parked along the hedges on the little grass verge—what on earth was going on?

It looked like I’d only be able to park about half a mile away. My temper was up near my eyeballs by the time I walked back to the reserve to meet up with three of my group by the lay-by. A car had just pulled up and they got in the new space. Mind you, I doubt I’d have been able to park the Sharan in such a small space—it was only about forty feet long and there were no landing lights.

“What on earth is going on?” I asked hearing lots of voices including several children emanating from the reserve.

“Ah, good question, Prof. It appears that they decided to have a dawn chorus day with a picnic breakfast afterwards. They’re still eating it, I think.”

“But dawn chorus should have been four hours ago if not earlier,” I muttered, my colleague shrugged his shoulders.

I went to the gateway and in the middle of the reserve were a group of probably thirty people with half a dozen children running about the place squealing. At about this time the others arrived and were as mystified as we were by the cars. I made a decision, we’d head to my woodland and do a survey there, it was too noisy here and the chances of finding any dormice quite poor. Then in my charitable way, I wondered why it hadn’t rained at dawn for an hour or so, but then I don’t believe in providence or any other sky fairies, so that was that.

The others waited for me to collect my car and followed me up to our own reserve and visitor centre—at least we’d be able to get some coffee or tea here afterwards and there were toilets as well.

Of the rest of my group only Tim had been here before, he’s my post grad student who mostly looks after the dormouse surveying for me. We got him a licence and he’s done a good job for the past year or so. He’s doing a PhD in small mammal ecology and is quite a competent fieldworker.

Dan welcomed us and grumbled that we should have let him know we were coming. I explained what happened at Milligan’s Wood and he shook his head. “Dawn chorus and picnic breakfast, what a good idea.”

“Yeah, do one in mid December, you won’t have to get up so early.” That got a chortle all round.

“Mind if I come with you?” asked Dan, "haven’t done a dormouse check for ages."

“I hope you have the map of the nest boxes,” I said quietly.

He waved a piece of laminated card and I sighed with relief, my own was in my office back at the uni.