What better way to spend a bank holiday weekend than at watching some wildlife. I had two visits to Rooksbury over the weekend a saw some fantastic sights. Rooksbury itself is beautiful at this time of year as I hope this photo of Barlows lake shows taken just before 8 am on Saturday. The trees look fabulous with all the fresh leaves and buds.There are a number of baby birds around including at least two Great Crested Grebe chicks riding piggy back on one of the parents while the other parent dives for food before resurfacing and passing the food to the chicks. Taking a break from the water vole surveys gave me a chance to watch patently for any movement. On Saturday morning I saw three and then on Monday I sa
w six. At last, a sighting of a water vole in the ponds. I’ve noticed a number of fresh burrow entrances over the last few weeks but no other signs of ratty. Then on Monday a large bunch of grasses on the bank started to rustle and shake uncontrollably a sure sign that a water vole was about. First his blunt nose and then the rest of his body slid out from the grass’s down the bank and into the water, his mouth pulling three or four long lengths of grass along. He dived down with lunch or bedding only to reappear and climb back to the long grasses and take another three or four blades back under the water moments later. He did this four more times. I expected him to carry on now o
bviously taking bedding to the burrow rather than lunch, but instead of taking more grass he started to swim across the pond. Startled he dived down and in the shallow clear water I could see him not swimming but running along the bottom of the pond, leaving a trail in the mud, his fur glistening silver as trapped air bubbles in his fur caught the sunlight like jewels. He disappeared into a burrow on the other bank, but it was an amazing site to see him so clearly under water. I spotted the same or may be another water vole at the opposite end of that pond later in the morning, as well as three between the two bridges by the carpark and droppings on the Anton above the mill. Another water vole had me laugh out loud as it felled three tall and thick reeds. Each reed must have been well over a foot high but this little fellow made light work of cutting them and moving them to 
the waters edge, before having a break to eat some more manageable smaller vegetation.
I hadn’t realised but there may have been up to 5 kingfishers at Rooksbury over the winter but sadly they all seem to have moved to pastures new for the summer, I certainly haven’t seen one for over a month now."
w six. At last, a sighting of a water vole in the ponds. I’ve noticed a number of fresh burrow entrances over the last few weeks but no other signs of ratty. Then on Monday a large bunch of grasses on the bank started to rustle and shake uncontrollably a sure sign that a water vole was about. First his blunt nose and then the rest of his body slid out from the grass’s down the bank and into the water, his mouth pulling three or four long lengths of grass along. He dived down with lunch or bedding only to reappear and climb back to the long grasses and take another three or four blades back under the water moments later. He did this four more times. I expected him to carry on now obviously taking bedding to the burrow rather than lunch, but instead of taking more grass he started to swim across the pond. Startled he dived down and in the shallow clear water I could see him not swimming but running along the bottom of the pond, leaving a trail in the mud, his fur glistening silver as trapped air bubbles in his fur caught the sunlight like jewels. He disappeared into a burrow on the other bank, but it was an amazing site to see him so clearly under water. I spotted the same or may be another water vole at the opposite end of that pond later in the morning, as well as three between the two bridges by the carpark and droppings on the Anton above the mill. Another water vole had me laugh out loud as it felled three tall and thick reeds. Each reed must have been well over a foot high but this little fellow made light work of cutting them and moving them to the waters edge, before having a break to eat some more manageable smaller vegetation.I hadn’t realised but there may have been up to 5 kingfishers at Rooksbury over the winter but sadly they all seem to have moved to pastures new for the summer, I certainly haven’t seen one for over a month now."
James Cooke
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