Interviewed by Sylva Fae

Gez Robinson’s Bramble Mice

Interviewed by Sylva Fae

The Mouse Family That Live By The Brambles

Gez Robinson is a talented wildlife photographer from Yorkshire, England. For months I’ve been following the antics of his family of mice on Facebook, that live in an area of the garden dedicated to wildlife. The photos are stunning and show what characters wild mice are. Gez has kindly given Mom’s Favorite Reads permission to share some of his photos, and he explained how his bramble mice have become famous.

Tell me a bit about your background.

I have been taking photos for many years. I worked part time as a wedding photographer, helping out a friend for a number of years but my main job has always been as a maintenance engineer –something I still do to this day. About 15 years ago I started taking wildlife photos. Wildlife has always been a passion of mine and I volunteer for Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust, helping with the various projects and surveys they do each year. I entered a few photography competitions and was lucky to win a National Geographic Traveller Wildlife competition with an unusual image of a mute swan. I go out most days with my camera, normally to the Peak District – I think photography and nature is good for your mental health, even more so during this pandemic.

Why did you start photographing the mice in your garden?

In 2020, during the first lockdown when we couldn’t go out, I still needed my photography fix. I started to go up the garden we created for wildlife, to photograph the birds on the feeders, and that’s when I spotted a little mouse on the old decking. It was stood looking at a blackberry on the blackberry bush and just stood there whilst I took photos of it. My passion with the mouse family was born.

What prompted you to start the Facebook page?

In the summer of 2020, after sharing images with my grandchildren, Noah and Minnie, via email (Noah and Minnie are pictured with Gez) they suggested setting up a Facebook page for the little mouse family and that is how it began.

Did you ever think your mouse families would become famous?

The first few images with the mice and the blackberries went viral and I received amazing messages about how the mouse family photos and videos I was sharing were helping people through the pandemic.

One hospital even called them the ‘Covid Meeces’ and told of how the staff used to look out every day for new posts on Facebook before their ward visits. They’d take an iPad around the wards to show the patients the mouse photos to cheer them up too. Lots of people have sent me heart-warming messages on how this little family has helped them. They have especially entertained people living alone through the pandemic – some said my daily photos and videos helped them massively during the last year.

Judging by the picture of the mouse on your boot, they've become quite tame? How do you manage to get such stunning close-up pictures? What photography equipment do you use?

The local TV network, BBC Sheffield contacted me and did a little video of me and the grandchildren. That was nerve-racking, filming that, but since I did that for the BBC, it gave me the confidence to start doing daily mouse podcasts using my iPhone. The mice trust me now and I think they are used to my voice. I normally use a tele photo lens to get pictures but I am now using a 35mm close up lens, all because of the trust I have gained with them. The equipment I use is Fujifilm camera and lenses I own an XT4 and XT3 with various lenses.

What does your family think of your bramble mice?

My grandchildren are a big part of this and they love the mouse family as much as I do. I have always tried to encourage my children and grandchildren to engage with nature, I think starting them engaging with nature at a young age, helps them in later life.

You mention on the Facebook page that your father has Alzheimer’s disease, how has your little mouse family benefitted him?

The mice have definitely helped my 83yr old father who suffers with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Whenever possible, I bring him to our house and he likes to sit up the garden watching the mice. They give him so much joy, one time he even walked the 2 ½ miles to the lane where we live – he couldn’t remember exactly where we lived, but luckily a neighbour recognised him and brought him to our house. All he wanted was to see the mice in the garden. I can tell you, my 84yr old mum wasn’t happy he had gone out on his own, but luckily all ended well.

People from the mouse page have also been very generous with Dad, making things for him to help with his Alzheimer’s, and one amazing lady from the Netherlands, did a painting of the mouse family. It now stands proud in a frame next to his chair in their living room.

The mice are obviously the stars but what else do you photograph?

I still go out to the Peak District taking photos of other wildlife, but my photography passion is my mouse family.

Will you continue to document your bramble mice once the lockdowns are finally over?

Now lockdown is easing, I will still continue to photograph the mouse family as long as they live in our garden, and keep posting photos and videos to the Facebook page. It’s amazing really, since starting the page in August 2020, just nine short months later, there are nearly 24,000 followers.

Where can readers see more of your photos and videos?

https://www.facebook.com/bramblemouse

When Gez said I could choose some photos, I had a dilemma – what to choose? They are all stunning. These are just a small selection of my favourites, so please hop over to the Facebook page, where you can see more, and also the bramble mice’s antics in Gez’s podcasts – they truly are delightful, and as many have said already, they’ve brought a daily smile during lockdown. Thank you, Gez Robinson. Copyright @ Gez Robinson for all photos featured in this article.

Sylva Fae is a married mum of three from Lancashire, England. She has spent twenty years teaching literacy to adults with learning difficulties and disabilities, and now works from home as a children’s writer and illustrator.

Sylva has published several children’s books and also writes a blog, Sylvanian Ramblings. Her debut book, Rainbow Monsters won the Chanticleer Best in Category award. Discover more about Sylva on Mom’s Favorite Reads website: https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/sylva-fae/