The same brook where I saw kingfishers on Saturday.
Nibbled snail shells near water vole feeding
Water vole latrine, old droppings and fresh
Water vole latrine
Field vole latrine (plus feeding)
Small toadWe did a survey of a farm in Whixall today, which is the furthest out we've gone from Whitchurch - we're trying to find out how far this meta-population extends below the town. As usual we found lots of evidence of field voles, so I include a photo for comparison.
.Lots of water vole latrines, plus feeding on reeds, fallen crab apples and possibly snails. All of it was fresh, too, as the brook had flooded recently. The habitat is ideal, and the farmer, who is really cool, says he'll try and clear out a ditch to provide even more space for the voles to expand into.
1 comment:
Hi Kate
Nice photo of a Common Toad. From the size I'd say it was spawned this year and has just emerged. It's a good sign because they are slow to colonise new ponds and rely on bigger, deep waterbodies which are becoming ever scarcer in our farmland. With luck that one will be back in a couple of years to spawn itself.
So more cheers to the farmer.
Ben
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