Rooksbury has provided me with another first, glow worms. On Friday night I attended the first of this years bat evenings. A training and refresher session for those of us that will be taking part in the bat surveys along the Anton in the next few months. In the capable hands of Sarah and Kate the bat expert a total of 15 of us were given the basics of bat identification and use of a bat detector. After the theory we had a leisurely walk around Rooksbury watching and listening to the bats as they came out of the roosts and started to feed in the trees and over the lakes and certain parts of the river. We identified the following 5 types, The Common and Soprano Pipistrelle, The Daubenton, The Serotine and The Noctule. Although seemingly impossible to distinguish the ticks, chips and tacks the bats made by the end of the evening it was possible to tell which was which and I think we all realised that with a bit more practice it wouldn’t be that hard to match the calls to the bats. To round off the evening we spotted the three glow worms beside the river above the bridge by the A303. The evening started off well as Sarah and I spotted a juvenile water vole happily munching on water cress by the second bridge. I then spotted another five water voles within twenty feet of each other all in the open and all happily eating water cress. Six water voles in twenty minutes is, I’m sure, a record. Of course I didn’t have my camera with me!!! I visited Rooksbury on the last two weekends and apart from seeing the ever increasing water vole population I saw, I’m pleased to say, a kingfisher on both occasions. Both sightings were the normal blur of red and blue darting along the river. But after an absence of several months it’s great to have these jewels back.
I completed a very successful water vole survey with Aidan last Wednesday along the river adjacent to the Mill. Although we didn’t spot any water voles we did find some evidence in the form of droppings, latrines and feeding remains as well as some otter tracks. We also spoke to some of the property owners along the river. It’s always a pleasure to speak to the people who live along the river as they see so much more. It’s also a good time to pass on information about what signs they might see which will let them know what is passing through there areas.
James Cooke

The number of water voles at Rooksbury is still increasing and they can be found in nearly every stretch of the river within the reserve. The area to the north of Mills Lake certainly has a couple of water voles and I’ve watched them on several occasions. It’s a very positive sign that they are spreading further away from the historical areas nearer to Barlows Lake. Steve and I surveyed that stretch of river from the old mill buildings up to the start of the houses and noted plenty of feeding stations, some foot prints plus a burrow or two.
The vegetation is still growing which is hampering our surveys at the moment by covering not only the banks but also a lot of the river as well. The water voles may be hidden a good deal of the time but they don’t always go unnoticed and we spotted several areas where the reeds or other undergrowth were shaking madly as the water voles settled down to a meal. We have three more surveys to complete at Rooksbury before we start surveying the stretch of River next to ASDAs.
My highlight of June was seeing my first wild otter, and to see it at Rooksbury made it doubly special. I had been at Rooksbury for a couple of hours and had spotted several water voles and was heading back to the car park. I had a final look in the ponds and noticed a large object flow down the inlet stream into the first pond. Not knowing what it was I wandered over but apart from the remaining ripples the pond was empty. Then a series of air bubbles appeared strung across the pond. These air bubbles are a sure sign that an otter is swimming under water and sure enough he surfaced briefly before diving under the water and vanishing. It was great to see this elusive animal and to see it in broad daylight was amazing and so un-expected.
Steve saw a Kingfisher on Tuesday evening near the bridge by the A303. This is the first time I’ve heard that these birds are back at Rooksbury since they disappeared in early Spring.
I saw this little chap on the “dead” section of the river by the Mill. But it’s not always peaceful and quiet at Rooksbury. On one of my visits I had a shock when I saw these two Swans fighting. I think a lone male must have tried his luck with the female from a pair and with the signets looking on the pair attacked the intruding male. The noise was bad enough but the ferocity of the attack was horrendous. At one point the female sat on the lone males back while her partner forced its head under the water. The fight lasted over 20 minutes before the lone male was eventually able to make his escape. All the swans seemed to come out of the encounter un-scathed and the peace of Rooksbury was once again reinstated.

James Cooke