Water Vole Spotting
Where?
The Plop! Water voles will jump into the water with a distinctive "plop" sound - thought to warn other voles of approaching danger. Tell us if you think you've heard a water vole! Our "Spot the Plop!" campaign aims to link possible water vole sites with local survey teams to create a map of Cumbrian water vole hotspots... click here for more details. When? Water vole do not hibernate, but they are much less active in the winter-time. Ratty retreats to his burrow, settles in with a few neighbours and feeds on stored vegetation and underground roots. So the best time to spot water voles and their fieldsigns is probably spring to autumn, but it is worth having a quick look at the world from a vole's eye view at any time of the year... Want to learn more? The Cumbria Water Vole Project needs volunteer surveyors. This isn't a large commitment - each survey takes approximately an hour and you can do as many or as few surveys as you like. Full training will be provided and updates of Ratty's progress in Cumbria will be sent to all our support team on a regular basis - see our newsletter for the latest vole-y info. Did you know?
The scientific name of the water vole is Arvicola terrestris - roughly translating as field dwelling earth-dweller. On the continent this species does in fact live in fields and is an agricultural pest!
Water voles used to be known as "earth hounds", "water moles" and "water dogs" Black water voles are common in Scotland, white patches of hair on the tail tip, forehead, chest or paws also occur throughout Britain. Water voles used to be so common that people didn't bother recording them - now they are our fastest declining mammal. Water voles will eat almost any plant! In a national survey, 227 species of plants were recorded as being nibbled at by water voles, and they will also eat crustaceans and snails... There are records from the 1960s of water voles being kept in large outdoor enclosures as pets! Water Vole
Project Officer: Jenny Holden
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The Cumbria Water Vole Project is a partnership project between Cumbria Wildlife Trust and the Eden Rivers Trust. We work with a range of other local and national organisations, and also have recently received funding from the Local Heritage Initiative.
The Local Heritage Initiative (LHI) helps local groups to investigate, explain, and care for their local landscape, landmarks, traditions and culture. The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) provides the grant but the scheme is a partnership, administered by the Countryside Agency with additional funding from Nationwide Building Society. |
Water voles are about the size of a small guinea pig, with blunt snouts, small ears almost hidden in their reddish-brown fur, and furred tails. They quickly become accustomed to human activity and are active throughout the day. This means they can be spotted more easily than many of our mammal species, particularly in urban environments where there are few predators. In less visited areas they are more wary and you may have to rely on finding the other clues that they leave behind.
Rivers, canals, ponds, reed beds, ditches... almost anywhere that has water may have water voles! They do need lush vegetation at the water's edge and earth banks to burrow into. However, they will also nest in tussocks of grass and sedge if there are no suitable banks. Burrow holes are 5-8cm in diameter and often found right at the water's edge.
Be careful... brown rats will burrow by water and are also strong swimmers -they are often mistaken for water voles. Rats are larger, with visible ears and long hairless tails, water voles have furred tails, small ears and leave a distinct bow-wave when swimming!
In the breeding season (March to October), individuals hold distinct territories which they will mark with droppings deposited at "latrines". The droppings are 8-12mm long and cylindrical, with no detectable odour, unlike larger rat droppings which smell distinctly unpleasant.