Small mammal surveys in eastern Bulgaria

Back in early April 2017 we completed some small mammal survey work in eastern Bulgaria. The country had obviously only recently come out of the grip of winter and very few early spring flowers were in evidence. Whilst obviously not the greatest time for small mammal abundance, evidence was very obvious and setting traps proved much easier than in high summer or early autumn, and equally fruitful.

Our small mammal work yielded a number of interesting species, some of which we were seeing for the first time, including Balkan Short-tailed Field Mouse Mus macedonicus, Sibling Vole Microtus levis, Steppe Mouse Mus spicilegus, Common Pine Vole Microtus subterraneus, and Pygmy White-toothed Shrew Suncus etruscus (the second smallest mammal in the world – quite a sight to watch it foraging amongst sparse grass).

See more images from this trip on our Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/biomeecology/

Sibling Vole