Encouraging News from the Country Park

Enormous vole in the field off Edgeley Road.

Latrine just outside Greenfields Nature Reserve.

Reed bunting spotted at Whixall Moss this afternoon.

Metal bridge near Grocontintental's lorry park - very busy area for water voles this year.

Burrows in amongst the wire netting.

New latrine near where last week the diesel pooling was worst.

Water vole prints further along the ditch by Grocontinental.

The diesel released into the ditch by Grocontinental has almost dispersed and there are still latrines and burrows all the way up, which is a relief. Thanks to the Environment Agency for their help here. Interestingly, the burrows up near the metal bridge - right next to Grocontinental's lorry park - are constructed under wire netting but it doesn't seem to be any sort of impediment to the voles.

Another piece of good news is this latrine (second photo down) found in the Staggs Brook as it comes out of Whitchurch Country Park/Greenfields Nature Reserve. This colony seemed to be cleaned out last year by mink, so it's brilliant to know there's at least one female back in the area. You'd expect the population to refill from this end, Greenfields Rise direction, ie furthest away from the canal where the mink made their entry. There are still no water vole signs actually in the Park itself, and ironically the bend where I found the latrine is on a stretch of habitat that's yet again under threat from developers.