Good News for the Grocontinental Voles

 Latrine in the ditch near Grocontinental. This tells us there's a breeding female there.

 Edgeley Road juvenile and baby

Grocontinental vole

I know many of you have been waiting for an update on this particular colony: well, I’m pleased to tell you that after discussions, the outcome has been pretty positive. In the longer term, habitat will be improved and there is potential for further enhancement of the site, under the guidance of a team including a professional ecologist who understands about the importance of timings to works, and about best environmental practice generally.  

I'm delighted to add that I've had two sightings there recently, and we look forward to water voles thriving in this stretch of the brook.

Vocalising

 Adult water voles

 Dead mole by the path

Juvenile water voles

It's rare to hear water voles vocalising, in my experience, but when they do it seems to be as a threat or protest towards another vole. The two in the top photo were apparently matched in size and age, but the one holding the apple was piping at the other to back off, which it did. I've heard an adult pipe at a baby to get out of the way, too. But they don't waste time squeaking about predators - they just vanish under water or down a burrow.

Populations getting to a peak now

 Baby water vole

 Adults

 Very fresh droppings indeed!

 Silver Studded Blue

 Burnet moth

Orchids from Wybunbury Moss and Prees Heath - Pyramid and Common Spotted, I think.

Water vole populations will be peaking about now, and families dispersing. Lots of fights going on over territory.

Back at Wybunbury

 Vole from Edgeley Road.

 Grass snake - one of two on Wybunbury Moss last week.

Large Red damselfly, also from the Moss.

Stinkhorns and Councils

 My first stinkhorn! The smell is truly unbelievable.

 Juvenile house sparrow which flew into my lounge and then started squaring up to its own reflection.

 Gold Swift moth at Iscoyd Park. Males smell of pineapple, apparently! 

 Toad at Wem Moss.

 Small Copper, Wem Moss.

Two Edgeley Road voles. 

 A glimpse of a water vole at Greenfields Rise, so outside the Country Park.

 Sensitive strimming at White Lion Meadow car park by the council - a good margin of cover left for the voles.

 We've had some sightings at the car park, but this latrine would tell us there's vole presence anyway.

More Edgeley Road voles, to finish.

An appreciative shout out to councils, including north Shropshire, who manage riparian areas with regard to wildlife. There was a time when contractors would strim the vegetation too far down the bank, disturbing the voles and leaving them insufficient cover. They also used to use chemical sprays. But since they've been aware of water voles along the Staggsbrook, they've been more careful in their mowing and strimming. This blog says thank you to councils who listen.

Kate Humble and me

A moment away from voles: I was thrilled last week to interview Kate Humble about her new book Humble By Nature, which tells the story of how she and her husband became first smallholders, and then owners of an amazing farm which hosts educational and community courses. You can read about it on the farm's website here: http://www.humblebynature.com/news/

The event was sold out, Kate was brilliantly entertaining and frank, and everyone had a great time. Big thanks to Booka, Oswestry's fab independent bookshop, for organising the event. http://www.bookabookshop.co.uk/

Males and Females

 Droppings ALL OVER this pallet. Whoever lives here is making a statement.

Baby blackbird in our garden.

I've never handled a water vole so have no experience of sexing them - if they're anything like dormice and bank voles, then the method of telling males and females apart is to gauge the distance between the anus and genital opening, two tiny holes fairly close together, so potentially tricky. There's certainly no obvious way to tell a water vole's gender as it swims past or eats a stalk of grass.

However, if the animal is seen topping up a big latrine, it's likely to be female as males' latrines are smaller and there aren't as many. I've also read that males have a bit more of a ruff around their necks, though it's a subtle distinction. Anyway, on this latter premise I think the top three photos are a lady vole and the three below a chap.