rhyne at Chestnut Farm

Features from Wildlife magazine Wildlife articles 2008 -- Spring 2008 -- ::Severn Barrage ::The Variety of life ::A year at Willsbridge ::Willsbridge comes of age ::Reaching out - Willsbridge ::Round the reserves Wildlife articles 2007 -- Autumn 2007 -- ::Thinking BIG ::Watery webs:the pond network ::Wildlife in the landscape ::Variety of life ::How to be a climate friend ::Seasonal stroll - Walborough ::Round the reserves -- Summer 2007 -- ::The Folly Farm appeal ::Weston Big Wood-biodiversity at its best ::The variety of life ::How to capture a butterfly ::How to get to know an orchid ::Seasonal stroll - WestonBigWood ::Reserves update -- Spring 2007 -- ::Folly Farm - a very special place ::Making a difference at Folly Farm ::How find the magic at Folly Farm ::Seasonal stroll at Folly Farm ::Magic spots at Folly Farm ::Batscapes ::Climate challenge ::Variety of Life - the Ponways project ::Round the reserves Wildlife articles 2006 -- Autumn 2006 -- ::The Severn Estuary ::Bird Watch results ::How to identify garden birds ::Making space for wildlife ::How does your garden grow? ::Round the reserves -- Summer 2006 -- ::Going for green ::Stand up and be counted ::Happy birthday NSLMP ::Holi day - a riot of spring colour ::Avon's species-rich grassland ::How to photograph dragonflies ::The Big Switch ::Round the reserves -- Spring 2006 -- ::How to identify winter water birds ::Make 2006 the year you... ::Invasive invasion ::Sowing the seeds: Willsbridge Mill ::Round the reserves Wildlife articles 2005 -- Autumn 2005 -- ::Indentify common funghi ::Build a hedgehog hideaway ::Big Bird Watch ::Champions for wildlife ::Round the reserves ::Seeds of the futre: Willsbridge Mill -- Summer 2005 -- ::Restoring Folly Farm ::How to become bee-friendly ::How to identify the butterflies of spring ::Save our seas ::The variety of life: hedgerows ::Round the reserves ::25 Ways to make a difference -- Spring 2005 -- ::The variety of life: water voles ::The Avon Biodiversity Action Plan ::How to take really good wildlife photos ::How to help your garden grow ::Round the reserves ::Seasonal strolls: Browns Folly ::Sowing the seeds: for wildlife for people ::Sowing the seeds: looking back

The variety of life - a rare treat

Matt Hamilton is the Avon Biodiversity Action Co-ordinator and recently had a happy encounter with Britain’s rarest mammal.

“All around me I could hear the sound of heavy machinery, the skyline was filled with the angular shapes of industrial equipment and every so often the unmistakeable smell of the nearby sewage plant wafted in the breeze ... and then, not 50 metres in front of me, a water vole emerged from the reeds and swam quickly across the rhine.

TheTrust’s reserve at Avonmouth Pools initially looked like an unlikely place to catch my first glimpse of one of Britain’s most threatened mammal. However a brief examination of nearby watercourses reveals the tell-tale signs – latrines, burrow entrances and tiny piles of cut plant stems (feeding remains) that indicate a healthy population of water voles persisting in the heavily industrial area of Avonmouth.

So why are they here? Firstly, where they are managed sensitively, the ditches and ponds of Avonmouth provide the voles with their ideal habitat. Secondly, the American mink, an introduced and voracious predator which escaped from mink farms where it was bred for its fur has devastated water vole populations across the UK – but it has yet to be found in Avonmouth.

The bad news
Unfortunately the future of the water vole population at Avonmouth is by no means certain. The rhines that support the water voles require management to ensure that water levels are maintained, and both neglect and over-management can have severe effects on water vole numbers.

In addition to this, the strict legal protection that benefits some species such as otters and dormice, does not extend to water voles. In a bizarre twist, their burrows are protected but the animals themselves are not. This means that they are at risk from the rapidly expanding development at Avonmouth. The heavily industrial nature of the area means that pollution incidents are also a very real threat as is the possibility of mink colonising the area.

The good news
The needs of a water vole however are relatively simple and there is a lot that local landowners and businesses could do at relatively little cost to conserve and enhance habitats for
water voles. In recognition of this fact, the Avon Biodiversity Partnership is taking steps to protect this important population. It has initiated a partnership project between the Avon Wildlife Trust, Bristol Zoo Gardens and Wessex Water which will work with businesses and landowners to:

• raise awareness of the plight and importance of water voles in Avonmouth

• encourage businesses to adopt water voles as a flagship species, and

• protect and enhance water vole habitat on their land holdings.
  

More on the moors
Following the sighting of a water vole at Walborough nature reserve last year, James Field, our North Somerset Levels and Moors Officer, has been working hard to find out where it came from. An examination of the habitat around Walborough revealed that the area most suitable for water voles was the Bleadon Levels. Earlier this year, James and several of the Trust’s volunteers conducted an extensive survey of the Bleadon Level.

“We were delighted to find that water voles are widespread on Bleadon Level” said James “particularly on the managed rhynes and at Wessex Water’s sewage treatment works.
We are now looking to work in partnership with landowners and managers to manage water levels and protect and enhance the habitat for water voles.”

How to spot a water vole
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 Matt Hamilton on 0117 917 7270 or at matthamilton@avonwildlifetrust.org.uk