My 1st Water Vole surveys of 2007

[Billy Wobble Dagger]

I carried out my first two water vole surveys of the year yesterday and what a joy it was. Yes it rained and yes I had to wade through 4-5 ft nettles to get near the river bank, and I nearly launched myself into the river after tripping over some hidden barbed wire. But was it worth it, oh yes. I spotted two water voles munching happily on reeds, and there were plenty of burrows, prints and droppings as well.
Even if I hadn’t spotted any field signs it was just fantastic to be out and about looking closely at nature again.
All so spotted: Long tailed tits, gold crests, herons, a buzzard, lots of green, and blue, damsel flies and a huge yellow or orange dragon fly, plus some orange flies that seemed very friendly with one another if you know what I mean. Plus a whole host of snails, spiders and other insects.
As usual on my surveys I didn’t have my camcorder with me and so predictably the two water voles I saw where very close and relatively unobscured. Maybe another visit is called for today.

BWD is very happy.

[Turtletagger]

I look forward to seeing your future pictures of this animal, and seeing as the rain has lessened I expect you to get out there today and get some. Make these little creatures one of your special projects for the next couple of years and keep us informed on your progress, mind you, keep the location a secret of you will have numerous interested people wandering around your special observation site. The orange flies I suspect are what we call "Bonking Beetles", plenty of them around at this time of the year.
Tanny.

[mrs fish]

Great news BWD, I hope you see them again and get pics

[vole-woman]

Fantastic, Billy. We're getting mainly positive results in our surveys too - just two areas that were occupied are now not, but several new colonies have been discovered elsewhere. Do post some pics!

[Billy Wobble Dagger]

Originally Posted by vole-woman

Fantastic, Billy. We're getting mainly positive results in our surveys too - just two areas that were occupied are now not, but several new colonies have been discovered elsewhere. Do post some pics!

My pics so far are very poor, but hopefully soon I will get one decent photo, and my I'm at a very early stage in surveying this year due to the fact the my local wildlife trust have failed to get enough funding to continue their water vole recovery project. But hopefully next week another local organisation will allow me to use their name when I contact the land owners and to get round the insurance side if things. Not that I'm bothered, if I fall in I fall in, I don't think I'll be suing anybody but that’s the way people are these days. Last year I did 29 surveys so some way to go and it's already half way through July.
It is so good to be back and watching the river change. It's still much higher and flowing faster than last year, but the population seems to be doing well. I know WildCRU released more captive bred water voles further down stream in May, and there are plenty of mink rafts, so fingers crossed for a happy future.

What's the latest on the rat problem, have you tried poison?

And as for bonking beetles, I see were they got their name from!

Early night for me, not now cos that would be silly, but I'll be back by the river early tomorrow.

BWD

[vole-woman]

The section of the brook I was concerned about is now free of rats: just waiting for the voles to come back. That might not be till next year, though they're further up so they might come down as populations expand.

I think colonies do move about quite naturally. As long as we have a good local meta-population, plus corridors in place, then that's what counts.