Whitethroat Singing in the Background.

 

Characterful Voles

 

babies and adults

Above: greenfinch and one of several ravens. 

Below: latrines

Nesting and Young

 

More Edgeley Road Action

 

burrow

feeding station

latrine

Population Growing in Field Off Edgeley Road - Crucial in the Light of Damage Elsewhere

 

this youngster demonstrating starry paws

droppings

This Edgeley Road colony is really important and healthy, probably our strongest water vole population in Whitchurch. So many of our water voles are under threat here: we used to have a thriving meta-population - were nationally famous for it - but now the building work all across the town has impacted on so many colonies I really worry for the future. The colony who live in the ditch near Tilstock Road are probably gone: the developer has fenced everything off so the public can't get in and check, but the damage looks pretty bad from the public footpath. There's been none of the usual activity at White Lion Meadow Car Park (Tesco car park) because of the swimming baths being constructed next door. I don't know if the voles will come back next year. And I suspect the development at Black Park Road will have damaged this important wildlife corridor, though I need to go and check.

Eyed Hawk moth

 

raft spider

cotton grass on Whixall Moss

two lizards on Prees Heath

feeding station plus droppings

I met a couple of men today who told me they'd been watching two water voles in this ditch on Whixall Moss. There were signs of water vole nibbling on some grass stalks poking out of the water.