Bulgaria

Roach’s Mouse-tailed Dormouse (Myomimus roachi). Photo Nedko Nedyalkov.

In September 2020 I spent a happy week with my son, Patrick and Bulgarian mammalogist Nedko Nedyalkov looking for small mammals around Bulgaria.

Sofia

Miller’s Water Shrew (Neomys milleri)

Overnight on Vitosha Mountain south of Sofia we caught a couple of European Snow Voles,  several Bank Voles and a Miller’s Water Shrew and saw a Red Squirrel.

European Snow Vole (Chionomys nivalis)

Pleven

Mound-building Mouse (Mus spicilegus)

We failed to find Romanian Hamsters during two nights at Pleven. But we did see European Souslik, and capture Mound-building Mice and a Striped Field Mouse. While an hour with a thermal scope produced a Wood Mouse and Golden Jackals.

Tsarevo

Harting’s Vole colony

We were unable to see Harting’s Voles or Martino’s Mole here, though they are quite common. But while looking we found European Souslik, a Weasel and a Northern White-breasted Hedgehog

Svilengrad

Roach’s Mouse-tailed Dormouse (Myomimus roachi)

Checking nestboxes with Nedko produced Edible Dormouse, Forest Dormouse and, the very rare, Roach’s Mouse-tailed Dormouse as well as Yellow-necked and Wood Mice.

Forest Dormouse (Dryomys nitedula)

Nearby we caughgt a Guldenstaadt’s (formerly Lesser) White-toothed Shrew, and an East European Vole (Microtus mystacinus).

Guldenstadt’s White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura gueldenstaedtii)

Kresna

Western Broad-toothed Field Mouse (Apodemus epimelas). Photo Nedko Nedyalkov.

Western Broad-toothed Field Mice were easy to catch in the rocky habitat around Kresna. We also had several Yellow-necked and Wood Mice.

Patrick and a Forest Dormouse