What councils can do to help water voles

The second pic down shows sympathetic management if the Staggs Brook banks by North Shropshire District Council. Just the very top edge of the vegetation's been strimmed, near the path, and the rest left alone to provide cover for the water voles. NSDC also avoid using chemicals such as pesticides near the water.

.

Finally managed to get a couple of clear photos of the voles living by White Lion Meadow car park currently. I've been trying for a fortnight now, and only getting flashes of tail disappearing under water, or nose being withdrawn into burrow. I was beginnning to wonder whether these were 'imported' voles from futher upstream who weren't used to the noise. Picture three shows clearly the splayed toes that leave the distinctive starry prints, and picture four, the furry brown tail.

.

The last photo is of more feeding signs - floating bits of leaf, chopped at an angle. Geese and other water birds leave sections of reed lying in the water like this, but the clue that this is vole and not our resident mallard is the 45% cut.