After an energetic start to the weekend with a nearby parkrun, Michelle and I made our way to join other volunteers for Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust at Woodhouse Washlands Nature reserve.

Our job today was to methodically search an area of wetland for evidence of Harvest Mouse nests. This helps them compare the population to previous years.

We learnt a little about Harvest Mice (they are Britain's smallest mammal and the only with a prehensile tail) and how to identify their nests. And I heard the word "tussock" so many times it didn't even sound like a word any more.

In our team, we found 6 nests in our patch alone. I was responsible for none - the only thing I discovered quickly was that my wellies were no longer watertight!

We did spot a field vole too after it squeaked angrily at us for disturbing it. After a couple of hours, we headed back cold and wet in search of lunch!