Features of a Water Vole

 

Here on the flanks you can see the gap in the fur where the water vole's scent glands are located. There is another gap in the fur behind the ears, just like guinea pigs have.

The tail is long and brown, and covered in fur.

The muzzle usually has white fur underneath. The teeth are orange.

This young vole has slightly fluffier fur than an adult, and it's darker brown too. Water voles' fur is water-repellent, so it dries quickly with a good shake when the vole gets out of the water. Voles swimming underwater look silver because of the air trapped in the fur.

Tree Pipit

one of the Skippers

Red Admiral

Peacock caterpillars

Meadow Brown

latrines

6-spot Burnet moth

Subtle Latrines

 

Below: because water vole droppings are a similar colour to mud - and sometimes squashed into it by deliberate vole-trampling - they can be hard to spot. However, it's the best indicator of water vole presence bar actually seeing a vole. Burrows can be old, or belong to rats; footprints can be rat; feeding stations can be confused with field vole ones. So water vole droppings are worth scouring the banks for.

Lawns and Vole-scaping

A young vole with large feet.

The banks have been carved by water vole activity.

Ideal water vole habitat.

Water vole 'lawns' circled.

linnet

long-tailed tit

Large Skipper butterfly

 

Juvenile

 

Nose

 

Not sure what's up with this vole's nose: whether it's just dirty or it's lost a bit of skin.

Fighting

 

You can hear some squeaking as they fight.

Establishing

cuckoo, the Hollies

Latrines establishing seem to suggest the voles are getting more confident, even though the stoat is still about.