I am a wildlife photographer and I have built a miniature Hobbit-style village for wild mice who live in my garden. I built the miniature houses from wood to resembles the scenery from The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films. The mouse village is constantly growing and changing and the mice love it.
I started photography when suffering from depression to help get me back out in the world, give me a goal, and keep my mind active. Then one day, I got a photo of 1 mouse in the garden and I set out to build him a home. Soon other mice came along and the home became a whole mouse village.
I often pick any berries, fruits, and nuts from local trees for the mice
Our story: "Once upon a time."
In an everyday English garden, Mr. Tographer had just mown the lawn and was sitting down on the patio, having a cool drink and taking photos of the birds on the bird tables.
Suddenly, movement in the fresh-cut grass caught his eye! Mr. Tographer picked up his camera and looked down to see what it was.
Zooming in on the grass, up popped a very tiny mouse standing up proud and looking over towards the funny human with the big lens.
“Hello,” said the mouse to Mr. Tographer, “My name is George.”
From that very moment, Mr. Tographer knew the little mouse was not your everyday mouse.
The mice love to search the brambles for the very best berries
Searching a spring flower for water droplets
The very next day, Mr. Tographer got out his tools and set about building the little mouse a home. Built from logs and twigs all covered with moss, and even making the little mouse his very own front door from an old coconut shell.
Our little mouse wasted no time in looking around his new home and came out the front door to thank Mr. Tographer for all his hard work.
The following days and nights, the mouse and Mr. Tographer got to know each other a little better, often just looking at each other and sometimes sharing a snack.
The mice also live in an old boot house
We even have Boris the mouse with daily updates
Then one day, as Mr. Tographer came out to give the little mouse his food, he noticed movement behind George, and much to his delight, out came the little mouse's wife. George said, “Hi, Mr. Tographer, I would like you to meet Mildred, my wife! She loves the house you built and has come to stay.”
Mr. Tographer knew that the small one-room log-pile house would need to be bigger now that there were two mice, so again, he got out his tools and set about adding more rooms for the little mice.
First, he set about making the log pile larger, wider, and taller, adding 4 more new rooms and even upper floors for the little mice to call home.
Again, days and nights passed, and Mr. Tographer and the two mice became great friends, sitting out for hours and enjoying each other’s company on long spring nights.
The mice have their very own caravan for little trips out in other gardens
I built the mice a much larger home for winter with its very own conservatory
Each day Mr. Tographer would come out to be greeted by the mice sitting at the door waiting for a breakfast nut or two.
It was not long and Mr. Tographer knew this day would come and much to his delight a very tiny mouse came walking out.
With the proud parents George and Mildred watching from the door, Mr. Tographer was finally able to meet Minnie Mouse for the very first time.
The mice love a day on the boat floating in the wildlife pond
3 baby mice at the home door coming out to see the world for the first time
Now the log pile house really was a home fitting for a mouse family.
As time has passed, Mr. Tographer and the mice have shared many adventures and the log pile has grown with many more rooms and homes that new mice will soon move into.
The log pile soon became a tiny mouse village with everything a mouse could ever need or want, made safe and protected from the cats and taken care of daily by Mr. Tographer.
Helping dig over the garden
Sitting at the door of his house waiting for food to arrive
The mouse village
