Sighting on a Survey Day

In the field off Edgeley Road.

The Staggs Brook as it passes through White Lion Meadow

Latrine underneath the bridge by the car park.

I've never seen an actual water vole pop up during a survey day - normally we volunteers make too much noise poking about the banks after field signs - but during a survey on the 14th at Whitchurch Country Park, a large adult vole swam out right in front of us and paddled in a leisurely manner down the middle of the stream. There was another just by our feet under the shelf of the bank, too, though it wouldn't come out. We logged stacks of latrines, burrows and feeding, which is encouraging when you think that two years ago was had mink on the reserve and all vole signs disappeared.

Another happy bit of news is the spotting of this latrine on a stone under the bridge at White Lion Meadow (the car park near Tesco). It's reassuring to know this colony's up and running again, despite the constant battle with rats.