Water Voles 2009

[cherrywaff]

we where watching a heron poised hunting at the london wetland center on saturday, camera at the ready i expected him to come up with a fish, but sadley it was a water vole he flew off with it a few yards then landed and swallowed it. nature is sooo cruel

[vole-woman]

I was doing a survey on Wednesday with some people from the Environment Agency and I heard someone saying a water vole reintroduction colony somewhere or other had failed because of herons. It's unlucky for voles that so many things eat them! I gather a heron's een recorded eating a dead cat.

Btw, I was counting feeding stations near me in an area of high water vole activity, and there were loads of nibbled snail shells. For all they're mainly veggies, I reckon those v-ws do like a spot of protein now and again.

[shirl]

Originally Posted by vole-woman

Btw, I was counting feeding stations near me in an area of high water vole activity, and there were loads of nibbled snail shells. For all they're mainly veggies, I reckon those v-ws do like a spot of protein now and again.

They will sometimes eat snails and freshwater molluscs/crayfish plus obtain protein rich pollen from flowers ;often it's the females boosting their protein ready for the little ones. However rats leave piles of snail shells along with other things, so maybe the rats are also there.

Shirl

[shirl]

Of course I was by the canal today! Saw 3 juveniles fairly close together so could be females; often the young males will have to leave the nest area as soon as they can look after themselves. Lovely day, and last Saturday I saw 2 wvs engaging in a very quick fight - both reared up out of the water using their front paws to "attack" - soon subsided though and one of them turned and left quickly.

A coup of pics from today - didn't catch the fight unfortunataely.

Shirl

[vole-woman]

Hey, water vole fans, check out these lovely photos I just found: Terry Whittaker Photo Blog: Volarè

[Billy Wobble Dagger]

Originally Posted by vole-woman

Hey, water vole fans, check out these lovely photos I just found: Terry Whittaker Photo Blog: Volarè

Thanks Kate for finding the site, how cute is the one in midair, if ever a picture needed the caption "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee" thats the one.

I was out again today and spotted 6 WV no decent pictures though.

Shirl, great photos once again.

BWD

[vole-woman]

I've got a similar encounter on video, BWD. It's a juvenile being approached by an adult, and the adult eyeballs the little one till suddenly it squeaks and jumps right over the top of the big one and into the water.

I never learned how to get the file onto the computer, otherwise I'd upload it - it's the funniest sequence.

[shirl]

Super shots aren't they, well done for seeing 6 BWD, I am getting withdrawal symptons not been down to the canal for nearly 2 weeks - might just have to pay a visit one evening this week.

Shirl

[OckViewer]

Originally Posted by vole-woman

I've got a similar encounter on video, BWD. It's a juvenile being approached by an adult, and the adult eyeballs the little one till suddenly it squeaks and jumps right over the top of the big one and into the water.

I never learned how to get the file onto the computer, otherwise I'd upload it - it's the funniest sequence.

Hi Kate,

Regarding your vole film (which sounds great). Can you view the file on your computer using windows explorer? If so is it a .mov file?
If so, you can post it into youtube and copy the link to your blog. If you want to view it then you need to download quicktime (for free) from Apple.

Let me know if you need more info.

Richard

[vole-woman]

Oh, hello, Richard! (Richard owns a lovely water vole blog, Views of the Ock, which is where I found the Terry Whittaker photos.)

I'll give it another go when I've finished my current work project and I've a bit more time. I've got better software on my computer since I last tried to save it, so maybe I'll have more success. These days I take videos with my camera, but those early films are with a mini-disc camcorder and it doesn't seem to be especially compatible with anything much.