water vole • Darin Smith

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The variety of life

Alias Ratty

A little brown face, with whiskers.
A grave round face, with the same twinkle in its eye that first attracted his notice.
Small neat ears and thick silky hair.
It was the Water Rat!
Kenneth Grahame The Wind in the Willows

Do you remember 'Ratty'? Keeping snug in his river-bank burrow and messing about on the river? With his small ears and rounded snout, he was not, in fact, a rat at all but a water vole.

Cause for concern
These creatures are found throughout Britain, confined mainly to areas near water. Prime water vole habitat is the densely vegetated banks of ditches, rivers, streams, canals and marshes, usually with low water flow but where water is present throughout the year. Often, the only sign one sees of a water vole is a burrow, latrine or feeding station, or perhaps ripples on the water surface, accompanied by a characteristic 'plop!' as the vole dives in. Once common in the UK, the water vole has suffered a significant decline in both numbers and distribution. A survey in 1998 found there had been a loss of 89% of occupied sites since the beginning of the 20th century, with a concurrent decrease in the number of animals per site.

One of the most significant threats to the water vole is predation by American mink which was originally brought to the UK to be bred in captivity for its fur. It has subsequently escaped or been released and now thrives in our waterways. The other main threat to water voles is the loss of its habitat.

Taking action
Avon plays an important role for the water vole in the south west region. One core population in Avon is in the industrial waters of Avonmouth. This is possibly because water voles are more tolerant of heavy disturbance than their predators, which are not found in these waters. Recently, there has been a successful reintroduction at Portbury Dock, forming a second core population. There is a further population on the Kennet and Avon Canal in Bath and North East Somerset; possibly one on the Somerset Frome which joins the Avon near Bath; and a number of small, fragmented populations in South Gloucestershire, distributed over a wide area.

Because of its national status, and the importance of the Avon area for water voles, water vole was selected as one of the priority species for the Avon Biodiversity Action Plan. A species action plan for water vole will be published in December 2004, linking the actions of the many Avon Biodiversity Partnership members who work to protect this creature in the Avon area. The plan aims to focus resources on our core populations, maintaining them and encouraging their spread. We believe that by working together we can achieve a great deal for this appealing and threatened animal - bringing the 'plop!' back to many of our waterways.

What are we doing for water voles?
Avonmouth Pools is our only reserve with a permanent water vole population. Three years ago new rhynes were dug here and they are now colonised by water voles, with burrows and latrines visible all along their length. The new pond at Avonmouth Pools also provides water vole habitat but the voles have not yet moved in.

If you have visited Lawrence Weston Moor this year, you may have noticed that work is being done on the rhynes. Scrub has been cleared, a rhyne re-profiled to provide the sort of steep bank where water voles like to make their burrows, and one side of a rhyne fenced to prevent cattle getting in and 'poaching' or damaging the bank. All of this is part of a rolling programme of works aimed at restoring water vole habitat. This reserve has had water voles in the past, although they have not been seen in the last few years. Rhynes at Lawrence Weston Moor connect with Avonmouth and it appears that when the core Avonmouth population is doing particularly well it expands out into Lawrence Weston. However, with these habitat improvements we hope that water voles will again be encouraged to set up permanent residence at Lawrence Weston Moor.

We've been busy outside our nature reserves too thanks to funding by Wessex Water which enabled us to re-survey the Avonmouth core population. A large survey of SSSIs in North Somerset, including Kenn, Nailsea and Tickenham Moors was also carried out through the North Somerset Levels and Moors Project.

How to tell 'Ratty' from a rat
Water voles are amongst the easiest mammals to watch because they are active during daylight and particularly in the early morning and evening. Do not assume, however, that a swimming rat-sized animal is a water vole; brown rats are also aquatic. If you do spot an animal, move only when it's under water to reduce distance without startling it, and try to look for the features described below. If you do think you've seen a water vole please contact the Trust on 0117 917 7270

Other signs to look for

Burrows: Water voles create burrows with entrance holes of 4-8 cm diameter, within about 1 m of river banks. Entrances can be at or above the water level on steep banks or, in some cases, below the water-line.

Feeding station: Nibbled blades of rush, grass, sedge or reed found in piles along a river bank, canal or ditch. Water voles need to consume 80% of their body weight each day, eating virtually any vegetation they can find, with rush, grass, sedge and reed as particular favourites

Latrines: Water voles mark their ranges with latrines which are conspicuous and easy to identify, consisting of heaps of droppings, often deposited at the edge of the water or
near burrows.

For further information contact Jenny Hayward, Avon Biodiversity Partnership co-ordinator, email jennyhayward@avonwildlifetrust.org.uk The Avon water vole species action plan is available on www.avon-biodiversity.org.uk

What is the Avon BAP?
The Avon Biodiversity Action Plan is the first over-arching conservation strategy for the former county of Avon. It has a ten year timescale. The plan's production was led by the Trust and the three main aims of the plan are:

You've got a chance to see the legendary Ratty when University of Bristol Union presents 'Wind in the Willows' in support of the Trust and as part of our 25th year celebrations!

The play will be performed in the gardens of Goldney Hall in Clifton on 4, 5 and 6 May 2005 and all profits will be donated to Avon Wildlife Trust. Performances commence at 8.00pm with gardens opening at 7.00pm - bring a rug, a picnic and low-backed seating.

Tickets are £10/£7.50 concessions. To book please call Sam Pullinger on 0117 917 7270 email: sampullinger@avonwildlifetrust.org.uk