August 7th

 

What Does the Future Hold for these Little Ones?

 

Limbo

We are still in limbo while we wait to see if the field will be built on. This colony has held steady this year and I'm still getting plenty of sightings. I pray every night that it's left alone.

 

Still We Wait

 

These little ones have no idea they could be about to lose their home.

I Think Tomorrow We Find Out Whether This Colony Will Survive

I've looked at Shropshire Planning Portal and I think tomorrow they publish their decision about whether this field, so crucial to the water voles, will be built on. If it is destroyed, I will stop blogging. I've studied these wonderful, protected animals for 20 years since coming to live in Whitchurch, and I've watched one colony after another disappear because of building work.

June 13th

 

Plenty of water voles about but they're very shy. They behave this way when there's a predator about, such as a stoat.

June 8th

 

June 6th - an Anxious Wait for the Planning Committee to Pronounce

 

We are waiting anxiously to see if this field will be built on, and the water vole colony destroyed.

A Little Bit of Activity at White Lion Meadow

 

 I've only had one actual sighting here this year, but this latrine under the bridge shows there is a population of water voles on the site.

Bigger latrine in the field off Edgeley Road. Below, a latrine right outside a burrow.

Sometimes it can be hard to spot droppings against mud. Look for the presence of flies!

Here's the little youngster with the spot on its head. It's now getting the lighter- milk-chocolate coat of an adult.

Feeding Stations - Can Be Subtle

 

You have to look carefully for some feeding signs.

Little One

Spotty Voles Again

 

I've logged voles with white forehead spots several times on this blog, across several different locations, e.g. Spotty Voles I don't know what causes it, though several youngsters together with the same mark suggests it's genetic. It might also suggest how much water voles travel between different sites, keeping the populations healthy and preventing inbreeding. The photos above show two different youngsters, plus an adult, and only one of the juveniles has a spot. I don't know if any of them are related.