Few mammal surveys have been carried out in Horndean and then only in a bid to save their habitats from development. This page records the observations of local people, adaptions by some species to urban life and the possible effects of alien and domestic animals on the native population with the start of a picture gallery.

Foxes are plentiful across the area. In at least two areas residents are encouraging them into their gardens by offering food eg. Hazleton, Frogmore Lane and Victory Ave where they are often seen at night crossing the road.

Rabbits are by far the commonest and most noticed of our mammals with some years quite high populations other years affected by myxomatosis. Frequently seen at DPW, Hazleton common and Catherington Down.

Moles have as usual been quite active especially at Catherington where many ancient and new molehills are very noticeable as seen in the pictures at the bottom of the Down and in Parsonage field near the car park, taken in February 2006. Of the smaller mammals - housemice still seem to be around and the Long tailed Woodmouse is the commonest in our garden have been seen and photographed in the bird feeders. Shrews and Voles are fairly common where they form a foodsource for kestrels and other raptors. Brown rats have been seen in good numbers some years but not recently. Most of the above mammals are affected in some way by recent extremes of weather and numbers seem to fluctuate in the last ten years, they all benefit from the good network of hedgerows across the parish. This particularly applies to Hedgehogs which, although they have adapted to garden life suffer more from road casualties. There were two dead hedgehogs found in Bull's Copse Lane but a number of young were successfully raised during 2006. A picture shows one on our back lawn. The commonest 'wild' animal in Horndean next to the rabbit is the Grey Squirrel which are attracted to many gardens where birds are fed but their worst feature is the damage they do to trees by bark stripping and chewing especially to the oaks.

Dormice have been recorded at two localities in Horndean, at Catherington Lith and at Hurstwood.

Grazing animals. Horndean has a good population of sheep, cattle and horses but amongst wild animals the small families of Roe Deer are frequently noticed in the Blendworth and Lovedean fields and on Hazleton Common. The ones seen in the pictures below were in our wild garden where one year 2 young were born. They were not too popular with neighbours as they had a great liking for garden flowers especially roses. Hoping to add details of bat species when records are collected together.

Large molehill