Fishing for Mice

Under the flowering apple tree near our house is a big black compost bin.  I have made some earlier observations on the value of compost bins (see here: Improved design for compost bins) but a new and more interesting benefit has become apparent with this particular one.  It sits under a tree from which hang three kinds of bird feeder.  One of the bird feeders has seeds.  Birds are messy eaters and despite F’s attempts to catch falling seed by hanging a tray under the tube, seed still falls on the ground; and mice like seeds.  Mice particularly like these seeds because right beside these fallen seeds is a nice cosy and safe (or so they think) compost bin to live in.  They possibly supplement their diet with scraps from the compost – which is essentially all the vegetable trimmings and teabags from the kitchen of my humans.

Having an allotment, my humans generate lots of vegetable ‘offcuts’ that other households might not have if they buy their vegetables already washed and trimmed.

All of this adds up to a well fed mouse population, and well fed mice breed more mice.

Three quarters of the bin circumference is protected by a dense tangled cotoneaster bush and some honeysuckle – right down to the ground.  With such easy pickings and apparently good cover, well fed mice get careless.  It is a good spot for a ‘sporting’ cat.


Humans have a saying about ‘shooting fish in a barrel’, well catching mice is not quite as easy as that, but it is certainly easier in places where mice get careless. 

Mr B refers to the time I spend sitting under the apple tree as my ‘fishing’ time.  I spend a lot of time ‘fishing’ these days.