Eating Pollen for the Protein

 Yellowhammer

Below, burrows at Black Park road show a lot of activity.

 A hedgehog in our garden.

Below, Moss Fields (the back of Saddler's Walk) - feeding and burrows there.

Kestrel and skylark.

Black Park Road

I've left it too late to do a proper survey on the Black Park Road part of the brook; the vegetation's almost impenetrable now. But where I could get down, I could see feeding and feeding stations. So there are obviously still water voles there. I'd love to be able to look at the banks upstream by Yockings Gate but that stretch is private.

A Round-up of Some Sites

Water vole signs at the Railwayman's Cottage (near Homebase)

Below, Black Park Road and water vole signs there.

 And lastly, these signs below are at the ditch in Broughall. 

buzzard

Still a Fair Bit of Activity

You can't really see from the photo, but a water vole had climbed pretty high up this bramble bush.

Above: White Lion Meadow voles. Below, Black Park Road. 

Non-spotty Variety

Same place, different (adult) vole.

Genetic Interaction and Why Wildlife Corridors are Crucial

This is exciting, and has implications for local planners and ecologists. This water vole is a mile away from the other spotty voles, which shows the importance of wildlife corridors. Without interaction between colonies, a local water vole population will die out. This cannot be stressed enough, and when developments are proposed, it needs to be taken into account by planners, landowners and ecologists every time.