What have you been up to lately? Dell (that's a photographer), has created a small village for a cute, little furry friend he found in his backyard.
But how does someone move from seeing a mouse in his yard to painstakingly setting up a small village for him?
That's quite a leap, right?
Not for Dell. He is a photographer, and he knows a photographic moment when he sees one.
He Was Taking Pictures Of Birds, Then Something Distracted Him
Being a photographer, he pointed his camera to the source of the movement. What came into view was a little mouse, standing up in the grass and looking at him innocently.
He Couldn't Resist If He Tried
That's why he did the unthinkable. Dell built a tiny village for the little mouse, and it's fascinating.
Before he did that, he had to convince the new buddy that he was not up to any ill. He rushed to the house and brought him some peanuts.
That sealed the deal.
A beautiful friendship began. Dell took things a little further by getting started on the project of building the mouse a home.
At first, there was a single mouse which he named George. But in a few days, Dell discovered that George had brought a friend.
"I decided to build them a home as I wanted to give them a safe place in the garden and not fall prey to cats or other animals. Also, I was feeding the mice it was the right thing to do as I would feel it was my fault getting them to come out if they became prey."
As Dell explained, there were cats often sitting on the other side of the fence ready to make a meal of his harmless little buddies.
He also put up some wire fencing to keep the cats away. Being the owner of a Jack Russell Terrier also helps, as cats naturally stay away.
The shelter is even winter proof to help the mice survive the winter.
But If You Think This Relationship Was One-Sided, Think Again
By making his new friends a home, he was also giving himself an amazing opportunity to take incredibly unique pictures. In fact, he had this intention from the very start.
"Being a wildlife photographer, I wanted to create a nice looking habitat for any pictures I would take."
The mice continued to grow in number and got to five, including a female who was obviously pregnant.
That meant more construction work. But he did not mind. A pregnant mouse can have a litter of 14. So, things could get easily out of hand within a short span of time.
But Dell doesn't seem to mind: "… I have space and don't mind living alongside such cute and very photogenic little critters."
What Do They Eat?
He keeps it natural by providing them with berries, nuts, fruits, and seeds. And he treats them to mealworms and suet pellets once in a while.
But mice are not the only creatures that Dell has in his compound.
He has birds like starlings, house sparrows, robins, blackbirds, and a grey heron. There are hedgehogs and squirrels as well, and a fox pays a visit to his yard at night.
He has had a mouse before, he named him Stuart. But he took off never to come back, possibly in search of a mate.
But with George and his buddies keeping him company, I think Dell is doing just fine.
