They scatter like...mice!

We emptied out the composters today, and will be no surprise to learn that wild mice love the dark, warmth, and the occasional bit of uneaten grain they find in there.

What was really amazing was the variety of shades of agouti you see in wild meeces; there were some that were nearly cinnamon and some that were really dark...there must have been a dozen in there. They scattered in all directions, and will probably move back into the spread compost, which is covered with a bit of dirt and lots of leaves. We had to scavenge for leaves from a neighbor as we have very few since our old elm was taken down. I saw a couple even as we finished our work setting the composters back up so we have room for kitchen slime and used litter over the winter. We now have three composters in the back yard, counting the one I made out of a heavy duty Rubbermaid trash can.

Those wild meeces looked very sleek and healthy; I had to help a couple of them get out of the way of the shovel, and if there had been fuzzies I would have rescued them. The bigger adults were about the same size as the average pet store mousie, and much healthier looking. I thought I saw a doe going back into a tangle of woody weeds that came out of the composter mostly intact. It probably makes a really good place for a next.