At this time of year the voles are still very nervous and I'm only getting quick glimpses. Plenty of burrows appearing, though!
Saturday, 29 March 2014
Thursday, 27 March 2014
On Radio 4 Extra
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03ynp0m
Here I am on Mel Geidroyc's Four O' Clock Show on Radio 4 Extra, 17 minutes in. Later on in the programme you can hear another chapter in the excellent serialisation of Tom Moorhouse's The River Singers, a thrilling story of water vole adventures.
Here I am on Mel Geidroyc's Four O' Clock Show on Radio 4 Extra, 17 minutes in. Later on in the programme you can hear another chapter in the excellent serialisation of Tom Moorhouse's The River Singers, a thrilling story of water vole adventures.
Wednesday, 19 March 2014
Vole Talk at Oswestry
If you're Shropshire-based and free tonight - Weds 19th, at 7.30 - and you'd like to hear more about water voles, come along!
Monday, 17 March 2014
Hello and Goodbye
Water vole in the field off Edgeley Road
Latrine at White Lion Meadow. Rosie Rees has seen a vole here too.
Comma
Brimstone
Peacock
Meadow pipit above, and below a goldcrest in the field off Edgeley Road
It's time to say goodbye to the foster hog we've been over-wintering in the shed. He's now 760g, which isn't a bad post-hibernation weight, and looked in good condition. I've seen three other wild hedgehogs in the garden too.
Friday, 14 March 2014
Burrow Bonanza!
These burrows in this very top photo are a good distance away from the water course.
Burrows are neat, often with grazing around the entrance, and can be on the top of the bank or in the wall of the bank or underwater. For scale, think Pringles tube.
Sometimes latrines are hard to spot!
Suddenly there are heaps of burrows in the field off Edgeley Road. It's all looking quite good for this colony.
Friday, 7 March 2014
Monday, 3 March 2014
First Sighting of the Year!
Reed bunting at Broughall and below, one of three skylarks in the same field
Feeding station at Broughall
Insert vole here.
Always a thrill to spot the first water vole of the year. Too quick for me to catch with my camera, but he was swimming downstream in the brook which runs through the field off Edgeley Road. There are very few signs here as yet - no latrines and hardly any burrows - although in the past this has been a very strong colony. Areas of this stretch are still flooded, so I don't know how that's affected numbers. I'll keep watching.
Saturday, 1 March 2014
Broughall Again
Lapwings and crocuses
Below, latrines and prints
There were so many latrines along the ditch at Broughall I stopped counting. How many voles on this
stretch? It's very encouraging. There was also a flock of about sixty lapwings wheeling about and calling.