National Mammal Week 2021
The theme this year is Harvest Mice and Other Wildlife Under the Radar!
See our introduction to the week from Mammal Society patron Zeb Soanes below –
The Harvest mouse, Britain’s smallest rodent, is thought to be in decline due to habitat loss and changes in farming practices – unfortunately we don’t know much about the British population of Harvest Mice according to our 2018 Review (Review of the Population and Conservation Status of British Mammals). We found that it was difficult to estimate the conservation status for the harvest mouse as key data on population size and habitat was limited. The future prospects of this species are expected to be poor. This is supported by our IUCN-approved Red List of British Mammals (2020) which now classifies the harvest mouse as Near Threatened in Great Britain and Critically Endangered in Scotland. In the same review we also found there was a surprising number of common mammal species found to have quite unreliable population estimates.
This is where the theme of National Mammal Week 2021 comes in! Our aim is to promote people to record better data on species with the least reliable population estimates, so we can have a better idea of their population (where they are found and what habitat they prefer), and can therefore implement better strategies to manage them, starting with the harvest mouse.
To raise awareness about this over National Mammal Week we wanted to involve as many activities as possible from daily blogs to draw alongs, a harvest mouse webinar, baking, games and outdoor activities. So keep an eye on our social media channels to see how you can get involved, and don’t forget to tag us and use #NationalMammalWeek.
We’re also asking you to help us gather data on some of Britain’s most under-recorded species! You can do this by downloading our Mammal Mapper app to log a detailed record of any mammal you see out and about!
Discounts
To celebrate National Mammal Week some of our partners are offering discounts on their collections! See the details below;
To celebrate the week our friends at NHBS are offering 20% off all Mammal Society titles during National Mammal Week! They have a great collection of books from general guides to mitigation handbooks on Britain’s Mammals – so what are you waiting for, click here to browse the collection today.
Our friends at Creature Candy are offering 20% off our entire badger range to celebrate! All you have to do is enter the code MAMMAL20 at the checkout. Browse the collection by clicking here.
Our friends at CJ wildlife are offering a 10% donation to the Mammal Society with every purchase from within their wildlife range from Thursday to Sunday this week! So what are you waiting for? Click here to shop their range.
Activities
Get the whole family involved
This year we’re trying to involve the whole family in National Mammal Week and encourage younger wildlife enthusiasts! Not sure what to do this half term, why not take part in our A – Z Autumn Scavenger Hunt? Have fun and learn about nature at the same time. If you’d rather stay inside on the dark evenings, then why not colour in our mammal fact file? All of our family resources can be found here!
Draw along
Have you always wanted to draw a harvest mouse but didn’t know where to start … well do we have the answer for you! Artist Alicia Hayden has filmed a harvest mouse draw along for you to complete in the comfort of your own home! Click here to view the youtube video. Don’t forget to share your creations on social media and tag us using #NationalMammalWeek.
A new t-shirt launches
We’re super excited to announce that we have launched a new design at our Teemill Store to celebrate the theme of National Mammal Week! Shop our new harvest mouse collection here.
A brand new partnership
We’re really excited to announce that we’re launching a new partnership with Dario Fisher – creator of Dario Design. If you purchase any mammal card (including the Harvest Mouse, Dormouse, Hedgehog, Wildcat, Orca, Squirrel, Mountain Hare and Pine Marten) or the 2022 Endangered Species calendar 10% of your purchase will be donated to our charity! Shop the collection here.
Competitions
Poetry competition
This year we’re excited to announce that we’re running a poetry competition the celebrates the theme of National Mammal Week – Harvest Mice and Other Wildlife Under the Radar! Click here to learn more about how you can enter, what prizes are on offer and to see a few examples from our poet friends.
Where’s Harvey
You may have heard of Where’s Wally so let us bring you Where’s Harvey! We’re running a competition across our social media platforms to see if you can spot Harvey the harvest mouse in this illustration. If you think you know where he is the let us know by emailing media@themammalsociety.org a screenshot with a circle around Harvey for a chance to win a harvest mouse print kindly donated by Creature Candy. The competition will run from Friday 29th October to Friday 5th of November! Please note, Harvey is not the harvest mouse you see on the easel, he’s hiding somewhere else!
Blogs
We’ve got some brilliant blogs lined up for you during the week, check back here every day of National Mammal Week to find the blog of the day! Click on the day to be taken to the blog.
Monday – Introducing the National Harvest Mouse Survey! by Frazer Coomber
Tuesday – A Scottish Search for Harvest Mice by Derek Crawley
Wednesday – Coordinating Harvest Mouse Surveys in Devon by Sarah Butcher
Thursday – Preparing for the National Harvest Mouse Survey by Dan Bowen
Friday – Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust Vlog
Saturday – Harvest Mice at the British Wildlife Centre by Matt Binstead
Sunday – The Silence of the Fields: The Chilling Decline of British Mammals by George Brynmor
Social Media
Twitter: @mammal_society
Facebook: @MammalSociety
Instagram: @MammalSociety
LinkedIn: Mammal Society
Have you been inspired this National Mammal Week? Then why not join our Harvest Mouse Survey!
During Mammal Week we will be giving you plenty of updates on our National Harvest Mouse Survey which is taking place from October 2021 to March 2022. To find out more about the survey and how you can help look for harvest mouse nests in your area visit the survey page.
