It's a while since we've had one, but the vole was balanced obligingly on top of vegetation in the middle of the brook. There's still very little water and bank visible under all the leaves, so I was lucky.
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The diary of a water vole colony
Labels
- adder (4)
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About this Blog
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?
Links
- Wood Lane Nature Reserve at Ellesemere
- Wildlife Kate (not me!)
- Whitchurch Water Vole Group
- Views of the Ock - another water vole blog
- Terry Whittaker's wonderful vole photos
- Shropshire CC countryside information
- Richard Steel's wildlife photographs
- Out and About nature blog
- Jo Cartmell's shiny new Water Vole Info site
- Gilly Otter's lovely blog
- Derek Gow, Water Vole Expert
- Countryside Tales
- Contact the Environment Agency about river pollution here:
- Careering Through Nature
- Beautiful French wildlife blog
- ARKive short video clips and photos of water voles
2 comments:
Good to see the vole. Good too to see the vole-watcher is still able to get out and about.
I was talking to someone from Dorset Wildlife Trust the other day. There's a group looking after otters in the Stour and other local rivers. I asked about water voles, and the guy said the otters help drive out mink, which can only be good for the voles. There are voles further up the Stour, though not near us.
If there are no mink, and there are corridors for the voles to travel, and the habitat near you is suitable, then I see no reason why colonies shouldn't return. Otters can tolerate water courses with stronger currents than can water voles, though. Your vole prefers a small stream or a pond or canal.
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