The harvest mouse is Britain's smallest rodent, and probably one of our most charming. However, we remain uncertain as to how this species is faring in the wild.   The connection between this animal and people is there in the name. Harvest mice were once a familiar part of country life, where their presence would be revealed when the crop was brought inside for the winter. Supposedly, they were so numerous that entire ricks would shake with their movements! Times change however, and with a shift towards more intensive farming methods in the 20th century, it is thought this animal has been lost from many of its former haunts. However, so little effort has been made to look for harvest mice that we don't know what action should be taken for them; and that is especially true here in Devon, which for such a huge county holds only a handful of records.   We want to cover the whole of Devon in our search for harvest mice, with the goal of creating a map of it's presence or absence. This in turn will inform plans to conserve them if required.   We will be training a large volunteer network to spread the work as far as we can. As well as giving us more eyes to spot more nests, this will engage people from various backgrounds with a side of our wildlife that is rarely seen, giving strong community values towards its protection. We also plan to engage with farmers that may have harvest mice on their land, bringing back this long-running link with the species and the agricultural landscape. Your donation will go towards extending our work right through the winter, gathering as much information from the field and recruiting as many new volunteers as we can. Projects on this scale for harvest mice are rare. Your support will therefore go a long way towards helping us fulfil our aims, bringing people together for wildlife, and ensuring the future of this delightful animal in the Devon countryside is secure.