Fersiwn Gymraeg ar gael yma
If you are fortunate enough to see a Water Vole close to one of its favoured habitats; be it along a river or stream, around ponds or lakes or even amongst reedbeds and in marshes, then make the most of it - because this children’s book favourite is at risk of becoming extinct in Wales.
For most of us, our first interaction with a Water Vole won’t be outside but in fact amongst the pages of Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows as lead character, Ratty, is in fact a Water Vole.
The Water Vole has chestnut-brown fur, a blunt rounded nose, small ears, and a furry tail. It is much bigger than other vole species. Scotland’s water voles often appear darker, with many having a black coat. The similar brown rat is larger, with grey-brown fur, a pointed nose, large ears that protrude from its fur, and a long, scaly tail. Water Voles like to sit and eat in the same place, so piles of nibbled grass and stems may be found by the water's edge, showing a distinctive 45 degree, angled-cut at the ends. They start to breed in spring, having three to four litters a year of up to five young.
As is often the case with a decline in species population, a number of factors have contributed to their decrease. Two factors specifically have had a significant impact on water vole population in Wales. They need banks into which to dig burrows, and dense vegetation to provide cover and food. The fragmentation and loss of riparian habitats, caused by human management, is the first major factor to affect these elusive mammals. Draining, infilling, inappropriate bank management, pollution and flood management have resulted in existing populations of Water Voles becoming small and unviable. Young water Voles are no longer able to travel to new sites or spread, significantly reducing their numbers. This situation has been exacerbated by the introduction of American Mink in the late 1920’s to the UK. The Mink has had an effect both directly and indirectly. Directly by actively predating on the water vole and indirectly by forcing water voles to abandon good habitat in order to seek an area without Mink. This, combined with the habitat fragmentation, has meant that in some areas the Water Vole has suffered almost total loss of its population.
Water Voles need grassy banks along slow-moving rivers, ditches, streams, lakes, ponds, canals, marshland or upland to survive and thrive. They feed on things like reeds, grasses, rushes, sedges, water plants and wetland plants in the spring and summer and roots, rhizomes, bulbs and bark in the autumn and winter. Very occasionally they’ll eat insects and other invertebrates. With 90% of land in Wales being farmed in some way, farming plays a pivotal role in being able to restore much needed habitat for this incredibly important species. That’s why we’re calling on a Sustainable Farming Scheme that works for our farmers, for people and of course our wildlife. To help us shape that scheme before it’s too late, make your voice heard here.
If you do find yourself outside in nature, look out for the signs of Water Voles where you are - such as burrows in the riverbank, often with a nibbled 'lawn' of grass around the entrance. If you are lucky enough to actually see one, let The People’s Trust for Endangered Species know here.