Mouse ID please... thanks

[theMusicMan]

Morning all

I also managed to capture this mouse this morning at the Silent Valley reserve, as it was scurrying around gathering some of the peanuts I had placed on the logs for the Nuthatches and Tits. I am clueless when it comes to mice and have no idea which species this is.

Do any of the experts around here know which species this is...? Could even be a Vole I guess, I have no clue!

[tlove]

Re: Mouse ID please... thanks

Hello John

It's a vole - not 100% sure if a bank vole or short tailed vole, but heading towards short tailed vole - and very nice shot of one it is, too !

I now wait to be shot down in flames by somebody who really knows what they're talking about !

[crimbo]

Re: Mouse ID please... thanks

so John...for those of us who would like to try and emulate your excellent image...what kit and set up did you use?

[theMusicMan]

Re: Mouse ID please... thanks

Hi Crimbo

Thanks for the comments on my image, really appreciate it. Here's the kit used and how I took the shot.

I used the E-3, with the Sigma 50-500mm lens, and also had the FL-50 attached to the camera via a 2m hot-shoe cable. The flash was screwed onto a lighting stand I took with me about 5' from the Vole, positioned right in front of the pop up hide I was in, and I was about 3' behind that - actually [of course!] in the hide.

The shot was taken at a hidden bird feeding station location about 100m off the public paths in the Silent Valley Nature Reserve, which is located just outside an old colliery town in the Ebbw Vale valley, called Cwm. I also managed to get decentish Greater Spotted Woody and Nuthatch shots too - which made my day.

So, for the shot itself. Well, I used Aperture Priority on the E-3, with the FL-50 on a setting of full manual. I chose this configuration because I wanted to see if I could get some additional DoF as I knew the Vole would be relatively close(ish) to me as I had seen it scurrying around after the peanuts I had placed on the logs in front of the hide. As it happened... typical me... I forgot to close down the aperture (wanted to get to around f16) when I spotted him, and the shot was taken @f6.2 - oops!! Maybe I'd have got a lot more DoF had I remembered... but I was sort of excited to see him up on the log pinching the peanuts and snapped away.

The only other thing I specifcally remember about this shot, was taking a deep breath and holding it - Oh, and going for the eyes!!

Another thing struck me earlier this afternoon, was that this image is uncannily similar to an image of a Field Mouse I took last night at home - it had the same posture with a peanut in its chops! Even the flash was positioned in the same place... Take a look...



Strange how history repeats eh!

There... how's that

[crimbo]

Re: Mouse ID please... thanks

Excellent John, thank you
I'll be using a 400 with the 70 - 300 and an fl36...but with the flash on one tripod and the camera on the other... I may get lucky...now to start coaxing the little sweet things out without the cat taking a fancy!