25 April 2009

Last week saw at long last the start of the water vole surveying season and three visits to the River Anton at Rooksbury. Due to health and safety requirements the surveys need to be completed by two people. My colleague and fellow water vole nut is Steve, another wildlife trust volunteer, who amongst other things helped out when we built the otter holt a few weeks ago. Before we could start the surveys we needed a quick brief from Sarah about safe working near water and some extra equipment. On Saturday 18 April the three of us met at Rooksbury to get the latest Wildlife Trust training and advice. Sarah handed out our waders, life jacket, and throw line which would allow us to enter the river and the necessary maps of Rooksbury for us to carry out the surveys. To work out a sensible method for the surveys and also to hopefully to see some water voles Steve and I carried out a quick check of all the river and stream systems at Rooksbury. Unfortunately though we didn’t see a single water vole, but that was to change………..
……..the following Tuesday Steve and I met up again laden down with all the equipment needed to carry out a good survey, binoculars, maps, waders, life jacket, depth poles, throw line and of course lunch and we were sporting the latest fashion must have, the Wildlife Trusts Volunteer polo shirts. We decided to start the surveys at zone 6.1 which covers the stretch of river between the two bridges adjacent to the car park. We gave the area a once over and saw our first water vole near to the otter holt. This was Steve’s second sighting of a water vole so it was an excellent start to the day. The survey process entails sketching a map of the river sector including the vegetation on both banks and all the water vole, otter and mink field signs that we see. In that one stretch we noted 18 latrines, several burrow entrances, lots of feeding areas and one small water vole foot print. Steve used the waders to great effect and found many of the field signs that otherwise would have been missed had we surveyed from the bank alone. After lunch we finished off zone 6.1 and started 6.2 which covered the whole of Barlows Lake. We only found one latrine but also an otter spraint, both at the top end near a connecting pipe than runs from the ponds. On the way back to the car park we spotted another, or possibly the same, water vole in the same area that we had seen the one in the morning but this time sitting on a branch in the centre of the river eating some type of water weed. We watched for a while until he eventually swam away down stream giving Steve a perfect view of their swimming profile, with the head and upper part of the back above water level.
Finally this morning Steve and I met up again and carried out part of the survey on zone 6.3 this time with very limited results. We found a few water vole field signs but no sightings. We spotted some droppings, that we are fairly sure were water voles but rather than been in a normal group they were quite literally one dropping every two feet or so. We were again blessed with another glorious day and even though we saw no water voles the few signs that we saw indicate that there is a good certainly one good colony of water voles at Rooksbury from the A303 up to the ponds. Further surveys will hopefully show water voles through out the sight.
With a total of 7 surveys to be carried out a Rooksbury plus more along the rest of the river Steve and I are in for a busy Summer.
James Cooke

Great news the otter holt we built last month is already in use, unfortunately it was a rabbit I saw hop into one of the entrances and after 10 minutes waiting it still hadn't come out. Hopefully with some closer inspection we might find some evidence that an otter is also using it. Further up river near the other holt I found some very moist otter spraint full of fish bones and scales. Hopefully being so moist it means the spraint was very recent and that the otter is still in the area.
I spent the morning at Rooksbury one day last week and counted 6 water voles, and was lucky to see three in the same area at once. I suspect further up stream that I scared one away as there was a different "plop" as I walked along the river bank. It's so pleasing to see these little mammals apparently doing so well at Rooksbury. With the surveying season just around the corner let’s hope the story is the same along the whole of the River Anton. The ponds at Rooksbury also look as if there should be water voles present again perfect habitat and there are some new burrow entrances.
On the same day I had a quick walk around Anton lakes, to the North of Andover. No signs of any water voles on the stretch of river I looked at but I did see my first 2 Mallard ducklings a sure sign that Spring is really here

James Cooke