Good morning!
All is relatively quiet on the osprey front at Loch Garten. EJ is busy incubating and Odin is bringing in approximately one fish a day, usually just before the centre opens or after we close. Typical! EJ appears to have started her moult and can regularly be seen perched near the nest scratching and picking at her feathers with her beak. Once finished she tends to give a little shake (like a dog, fresh out of the river) and a cloud of feathers puffs up and are blown away with the wind. Odin has been great at looking after the eggs while she's off the nest, although quite often it takes him a while to respond to her incessant calls. I genuinely think he's just out of earshot but it does look suspiciously like a case of selective deafness...
The wait for our first chick continues...
A war has started at Loch Garten this week...albeit a war of words between the staff. If you have ever visited Loch Garten, you may have noticed the voles that scurry around the bird feeders? For the past few seasons we have been telling our visitors that they are bank voles, but last week one of our staff members, not naming any names (cough, cough Fergus) has decided that we are in fact wrong and that they are field voles. This has sparked a debate between the staff as to whether they are indeed bank voles or they are actually field voles. Although I am fairly certain it is indeed a bank vole, I will tell you a little bit more about each species and you can decide for yourselves.
Bank or field? by Blair Johnston
Bank voles are small rodents that are found all over Britain. They are found in forests, especially mixed woodlands and deciduous forests. They can also be found in hedgerows and field verges. But Blair, I hear you scream, can they survive in the cold, harsh forests of Abernethy? Well my good friends, the answer to that is of course they can. They can thrive in mountainous, coniferous woodlands of up to 1,800 meters. So what do they look like, I also hear you scream (stop screaming at me). Well the bank vole has a reddish-brown body and a greyish undercoat. They are between 80 to 120mm and their tail is usually half its body length. Although the ears are folded back against its head and be hard to see, they are larger than most vole species. If you listen closely when you think you have spotted one, they make a growling sound but can also make low-pitched squeaks. Bank voles are active throughout the day and night. and they nest underground in long burrow systems with multiple exits. They use these burrows to store food and to nest in. Although they gather food for their burrow, they surprisingly don't hibernate. Bank voles are herbivores, they mainly feed on leaves, fruits, nuts, seeds and grains, although they can also feed on roots, bark and buds when food is scarce. They are fast little creatures, and they need to be as they can be predated by animals such as stoats, pine marten, tawny owls, kestrels and red foxes.
Birds eye view by Blair Johnston
Like the bank vole the field vole is a small rodent found all over Britain and, in fact, is one of the most common mammals in Europe. They are roughly the same size as bank voles, but their tail is a lot shorter. They are dark brown and have shaggy hair.
On the move by Blair Johnston
They are found in grassy habitats including woodlands, marshes and river banks. Unlike the bank vole, they tend to build shallow burrows and usually nest above the ground. Like the bank vole they can also be found on high altitudes and are well suited to forests like Abernethy. They tend to use the vegetation around the burrow to their advantage - using the tall long grasses to stay out of site of predators whilst on the look out for food. Field voles also don't surprisingly hibernate. They are herbivores and feed on grass, herbs, moss and roots., however, they will also eat invertebrates if they come across some. They are also fast little creatures, as they are also predated by the same animals that predate on the bank vole.
A hungry vole by Adrian Kirby
So there you go guys, that's all the info I have on these little creatures. If anyone wants to jump in on the debate, have a look at the photos and tell me if you think it's a bank vole, field vole or even both of them! If photos aren't enough for you, why not come and join us here in Loch Garten, where we can show you exactly where these furry little creatures stay.
Cheers, Blair