Vole question

[Billy Wobble Dagger]

I spent this morning looking for water voles on the water courses around the airfield. Someone had heard a "plop" in one of the streams and asked for my help to look for them. I must say I would have been really happy to find some but also a little miffed, fancy living and working somewhere for 6 years and not knowing you had your own near private collection of water voles. Anyway, I don't think there are water voles, except may be in one area but only a hunch looking at the entrance of the burrows. However we did find some grass stalks cut at a perfect 45 degrees, as a water vole would do. Only problem is that they were at the top of the bank in two small shallow scrapes. So my question is do all voles cut there grass stalks at 45 degrees? I don't think that this was a water voles feeding station, but I've also no idea what would make a shallow scrape to eat in.

As always thanks in advance to any replys

BWD

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by Billy Wobble Dagger

I spent this morning looking for water voles on the water courses around the airfield. Someone had heard a "plop" in one of the streams and asked for my help to look for them. I must say I would have been really happy to find some but also a little miffed, fancy living and working somewhere for 6 years and not knowing you had your own near private collection of water voles. Anyway, I don't think there are water voles, except may be in one area but only a hunch looking at the entrance of the burrows. However we did find some grass stalks cut at a perfect 45 degrees, as a water vole would do. Only problem is that they were at the top of the bank in two small shallow scrapes. So my question is do all voles cut there grass stalks at 45 degrees? I don't think that this was a water voles feeding station, but I've also no idea what would make a shallow scrape to eat in.

As always thanks in advance to any replys

BWD

Yes other voles also do the 45degrees thing too, and bank voles will also swim just to confuse matters further!

[vole-woman]

If you click on the 'field voles' tag on my blog you'll see field vole feeding stations which are really similar to w-vs, except they're on a daintier scale. Where I was this afternoon there were both sets of vole feeding. When field voles eat juncus, they often strip it to the pith which I don't think w-vs do.

Field voles tend to leave droppings on their food, too, which water-voles don't (and fv droppings are smaller and lighter-coloured anyway).

[Billy Wobble Dagger]

Originally Posted by vole-woman

If you click on the 'field voles' tag on my blog you'll see field vole feeding stations which are really similar to w-vs, except they're on a daintier scale. Where I was this afternoon there were both sets of vole feeding. When field voles eat juncus, they often strip it to the pith which I don't think w-vs do.

Field voles tend to leave droppings on their food, too, which water-voles don't (and fv droppings are smaller and lighter-coloured anyway).

When you say "daintier" how much smaller? I have to say that if these two feeding stations were on the waters edge I would have said water voles with out any hesitation. Is it unusual to have the remains in these little scrapes?

BWD

[vole-woman]

About a Brook: Water Vole vs Field Vole Feeding

That's field vole feeding, I'm pretty certain. Don't know about the scrapes - I've not seen that. Latrines nearby are the big giveaway, but unfortunately they animals in question don't always oblige!

[Billy Wobble Dagger]

No latrines, but I think your right. Thanks for your help.

BWD

[shirl]

On a recent water vole survey I found field vole activity, here are a couple of pics to show the field vole feeding remains (spike rush, 45 degree angle cut, but stalk remains much shorter than water vole) and a latrine, all in the middle of spike rush clumps.





Shirl

[vole-woman]

Oh, yes, post some pics if you can. Did you see the bank voles on Springwatch Monday night?

[Billy Wobble Dagger]

Originally Posted by vole-woman

Oh, yes, post some pics if you can. Did you see the bank voles on Springwatch Monday night?

I missed the first half of Mondays Spring watch. Sorry I didn't have my camera with me. The feeding staion was really strange. An area of about 3" x 2" had been cleared of all vegitation, and then dug down a little. With as I dsaid about a dozen or so short lengths of grass in each.

We also saw 2 grass snakes, several fox and badger sets. The airfield is just full of wildlife.

BWD

[vole-woman]

I'd love to see a grass snake!!!

A friend of mine said yesterday that there's still lots we don't know about water voles (and maybe voles in general). For instance, we're always told that water voles will rapidly vacate an area if the water dries up and they've nothing to swim in, but we've found plenty of feeding in ditches with only a dribble at the bottom.