It's been a while since we had a Water Vole feeding at the Watchpoint Hide on the feeding table, which is protected by a cage. The last one was predated by a Heron in April. Before that, a Weasel managed to get into the cage during the drought in summer 2014. Since then, we've done a lot of work to try and prevent predation of Water Voles, including digging a moat around the table, but there is little we can do about Herons taking them in the channels. Herons are such a problem for Water Voles, especially in frozen conditions, that at some nature reserves, Herons are discouraged from nesting by removing trees from islands, although herons can fly some distance to feed. So I was pleasantly surprised to hear that last Saturday, while parts of the reserve infrastructure were flying around in that wind, a Water Vole was seen feeding on the apples by members of the RSPB Newcastle group.
I took this photo a few years ago in County Durham before they disappeared from that stretch of water. You'd think with such a healthy diet of vegetables they'd have cleaner teeth ?
Last night while I was locking up the hide, I looked out onto the feeding table and there was a Water Vole sitting there munching on an apple. I am delighted that so far, this individual has lasted at least 6 days. If this lovely little thing can make it through the winter, and breed in the spring, we could have a lot more little voles to see, and the population here could become more resilient to predation events. However, genetics plays a major role in Water Vole populations as inbreeding causes bone fragility. But that is not the major issue here, as we have a host of potential predators lurking in and over the reeds and bunds along the channels. The list includes Herons, Bitterns, Marsh Harrier, Short-eared Owl, Fox, Weasel, Stoat and even Brown Rat.
Come on little vole, I'm doing all I can, it's just four and a half months to April, you can do it.
But just in case, come and see it now, before something eats it.