25-Jan Burns Night and Winter Mammals

Summary

On January 25th we will celebrate Burns Night and explore the fascinating world of winter mammals. Discover the inspiration behind Robert Burns' famous poem "To a Mouse" and learn about the behaviors of foxes, deer, and squirrels during the coldest month. Whether you're a poetry lover or a wildlife enthusiast, this article will provide a captivating look at January's natural wonders.

Article

25-Jan Burns Night and Winter Mammals Section Image

25-Jan Burns Night and Winter Mammals Section Image

Tonight is Burns night when by tradition the poetry of Robert Burns is read aloud and haggis is eaten. One of his most famous poems ‘To a mouse’ (the wee tim’rous beastie) was inspired when he accidentally destroyed one of their nests whilst ploughing a field as a young man. His brother said he composed the poem on the spot. Referring to the nest itself he wrote

“That wee bit heap o’ leaves and stibble (stubble)
How cost thee mony (many) a weary nibble
Now thou’s turned out for a’ (all) thy trouble”

The poem ends with him comparing the mouse’s life with his own concluding the mouse has it easier being aware of the present only with no fear of the past or the future.

25-Jan Burns Night and Winter Mammals Section Image

25-Jan Burns Night and Winter Mammals Section Image

Mammals

Few mammals including mice are visible this month. Foxes may be seen in gardens or crossing roads, deer in parks and perhaps the occasional rabbit or rat. Sometimes water voles may be heard plopping into water as they make their escape at Rainham Marshes. However, the capital’s hedgehogs, and most of its mice and bats, are all sleeping deeply and badgers, weasels, stoats and hares are just making the occasional appearance on warm days.

25-Jan Burns Night and Winter Mammals Section Image

25-Jan Burns Night and Winter Mammals Section Image

The much-maligned grey squirrel is the most commonly encountered of our wild mammals. They only retreat to their well upholstered dreys on the coldest of days. They now sport a fine coat with a handsome white chest and an enormous tail, the hairs of which having several bands of colour. Squirrels are already courting, with several males chasing females for hours at a time. The courting involves much chattering, sneezing, clicking, squeaking, tail wagging and even occasionally some mutual grooming.

Deer

The red deer stags around London now have their grey-brown winter pelage which may appear almost black from a distance. They are spending more time alone in good cover where they merge perfectly with the dead grass. Meanwhile the hinds are remaining in herds with their offspring. Roe deer, the only truly wild deer in London, have now got mouse-coloured coats compared with their usual red-brown. Being mainly nocturnal, they are unlikely to be seen. Fallow deer vary in colour at this time but have not got the heavy spotting so typical of summer. The fallow deer in Bushy Park are occasionally very pale, appearing almost white in some lights.

25-Jan Burns Night and Winter Mammals Section Image

25-Jan Burns Night and Winter Mammals Section Image

Muntjac arrived from China at the beginning of the last century and escaped from Woburn Abbey and then later also from Whipsnade zoo. They started to be noticed in the wild in the 1920’s and from then on have spread widely, even entering London.

They are shy, unobtrusive forest dwellers preferring deep cover where they like to eat bramble. At this time of year they have deep brown coats and white chins. Their tails are also white when they raise them with excitement. They are also small, perhaps only sixteen to eighteen inches high with dark V-shape marking on their faces. The bucks have projecting canine teeth which can be used against dogs, for which they have a natural antipathy.

Their antlers are tiny with just a short brow tine and they are well known for their eerie bark. Tiger hunters used to listen for these barks as they often betrayed the presence of a tiger. Due to their shy nature and nocturnal habits they are rarely seen but are often heard. When they are encountered they tend to dart off holding their heads down as they go. Northaw Great forest is one place where they have occasionally been seen.

25-Jan Burns Night and Winter Mammals Section Image

25-Jan Burns Night and Winter Mammals Section Image

Foxes

The Anglo-Saxons called January Wulfmonth. It seems likely wolves were seen more as they got hungrier. The last one in Britain was killed in the eighteenth century, leaving just the familiar red fox in its place. Urban foxes often look at their most healthy this month. They have thick russet coats, white chests and possibly a seventeen inch long bushy tail, as well as handsome black tips to their ears. Courting has started and groups of three may be seen.

25-Jan Burns Night and Winter Mammals Section Image

25-Jan Burns Night and Winter Mammals Section Image

There is an open mouth display and males make noises quite unlike their customary vocalisations. It is the blood-curdling scream of the vixen that we notice most as she calls out to the males in the night. It has been likened to the “cry of a soul in torment”. The males often reply with a triple dog-like bark. These calls are usually heard between one and three hours after sunset.

25-Jan Burns Night and Winter Mammals Section Image

25-Jan Burns Night and Winter Mammals Section Image

Mating can sometimes involve a number of males. With all this excitement there is excessive scent marking with both urine and faeces resulting in a ranker smell than is usual. The vixen can only be fertilised three or four days of the year and these usually all fall in January.