Common Shrew

I decided early on today that it was far too hot to go tramping around a nature reserve and that I would just try to keep cool at home.  Poor Purdy is very uncomfortable with her thick fur coat.  Usually she can keep cool by just getting out of the direct sun, but at the moment the air temperature is so high that there is no escape for her.

The heat may well have helped this shrew.  It came running across our lawn in full view of Purdy but she couldn't be bothered to try to catch it.  When she saw me photographing it she ambled over to see what I was doing but I picked her up to give the shrew chance to scuttle away.

I was surprised to find out that shrews are not rodents but are related to the mole and the hedgehog in the order of mammals called 'Insectivora'.  They are protected by law and should not be caught or handled without a licence; I have passed this latter information on to Purdy!