Numbers Increasing

 Ideal habitat

I had four sightings yesterday, at least three voles. One of them was the one-eyed water vole I've been paying particular attention to, and it's amazing how well this animal copes, considering the impact there must be on its peripheral vision. I haven't spotted any young yet, though.

I include this photograph of butterflies I've just hatched. You send off a voucher and get five tiny painted lady caterpillars in a pot, complete with food. When they pupate, you transfer them to a netting hatchery, and then only when the adult insects emerge do you have to feed them (with sugar water or fruit). I'll be releasing mine tomorrow.

Belton Farm

Terrific habitat above - lots of cover and food for voles, silty stream-bed.

 



 Not so good for voles: stony stream-bed.

 

 

Three lots of nibbled snails. Who's eating these - field voles, water voles or rats?

 Trackway by the water's edge. It's a good idea to look here for prints and droppings.

 



 Edgeley Road vole

 

 Water vole 'lawn' round burrow entrance.

 

 Mallard nest

 

Very small frog

 

Lots of good signs on this morning's survey near Belton Farm, which is next to the large vole colony at Whitwater fishery. But not all the habitat is right for water voles as some of the banks are shaded and don't have enough vegetation, and not all of the stream has mud at its bottom (which water voles like to kick up as a screen to hide from predators). Lots of evidence of field voles, though.