There's plenty of activity still at Black Park Road, and down at White Lion Meadow the water channel has been swept a little clearer; maybe we'll have more sightings there soon.
Yes, a piece of apple I dropped into the water ten minutes before.
I definitely wouldn't recommend regular feeding of water voles in that: a) you don't want any wild creature to get dependent on an artificial food source
b) you might encourage water vole predators if you leave food in the same place at the same time
c) you don't want to encourage rats.
That said, the odd piece of sliced apple every now and again does no harm, and can tempt the voles out for photographs.
If the apple's not taken while I'm there, I wouldn't leave it, I'd fish it out and use it again. If you keep the apple in a bag for a few days anyway it softens, and they seem to like that.
This blog charts the fortunes of water voles in and around the Whitchurch area, North Shropshire. Water voles are one of the UK's most threatened mammals, extinct in many counties, and so it's vital they receive as much monitoring and protection as there is going. Here in Whitchurch we're lucky enough to have them right in the middle of town - how cool is that?
2 comments:
ooooh, Kate. has it got something in its mouth, in that 1st pic?
Yes, a piece of apple I dropped into the water ten minutes before.
I definitely wouldn't recommend regular feeding of water voles in that:
a) you don't want any wild creature to get dependent on an artificial food source
b) you might encourage water vole predators if you leave food in the same place at the same time
c) you don't want to encourage rats.
That said, the odd piece of sliced apple every now and again does no harm, and can tempt the voles out for photographs.
If the apple's not taken while I'm there, I wouldn't leave it, I'd fish it out and use it again. If you keep the apple in a bag for a few days anyway it softens, and they seem to like that.
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