A few years ago, photographer Simon Dell of England was taking some pictures of wild birds in his garden when he spotted a tiny brown field mouse standing up “like a meerkat” nearby.
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The mouse had a tiny tear in his ear, making him instantly recognizable. Simon named him George, and within minutes, the artist’s creative mind whirred to life.
With a curious cat hovering nearby, Simon worried about George’s safety. He started piling up some logs around a box, hoping to entice George to build a home where Simon could observe and take pictures of him. He gave the mouse some treats, and the creature stuck around.
“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,” Simon said. “Being a wildlife photographer, I wanted to create a nice-looking habitat for any pictures I would take.”
A few days later, George had even invited a lady friend to his new pad! Simon named her Mildred.
George and Mildred seemed right at home in Simon’s makeshift residence. When Mildred had babies, Simon knew it was time to expand!
Over the years, he has added dozens of delightful and whimsical elements to his mouse-sized “Hobbit village.”
The village is now home to around 10 different mice, but George and Mildred are the constants. They gladly raise their young together, enjoying the berries, nuts, and fruits Simon offers them every day.
The mice are the perfect subjects for Simon’s photography. People are smitten by the delightful scenes he has created, and the way the tiny mice interact with their human surroundings could warm anyone’s heart.
The mice sometimes have to share their slice of nirvana with other garden creatures. Birds, squirrels, and chipmunks occasionally sneak in to help themselves to a snack, but for the most part, Simon has been pleased to see the place still belongs to George and Mildred.
“The mice seem to love the log pile homes and wasted no time moving in,” he said. “They are wild animals, so they still run if I get too close or move too fast, but often I manage to sit down just a few feet away with a zoom lens and they seem happy to pop in and out for nuts or seed.â€
Simon even offers the mice feather pillows for the cold winter months, which they happily accept. George and Mildred definitely know a good thing when they see it!
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