Close encounter

Last night i helped with a bat survey which happened to be on a site beside some fishing lakes. It was a wonderful evening as, apart from finding lots of bats, my partner and i had really close views of water voles.
We saw three and they were collecting the flowers of Nuphar lutea (yellow water lily - "brandy bottles") and swimming with them to the bank where they sat and ate them.
The third one didn't see us as it headed for the water and stopped for a brief rest only two metres from my feet! No need for the binoculars i'd left in the car!!

This site has a picture of a water vole for those of you who haven't met them before:
http://www.mammalstrustuk.org/rodents/frameset_watervole.html

I had never heard of one of these before. Don't think I want to pet it though!

can I see one too?

8 weeks is so far away!!

Can't guarantee one of these fellows Mark. I've only seen them a few times, but i know some places they hang out. We can go and check them out.

Will i see one of your red squirrels?? pleease?

Looks a little like our Beavers. Except no big flat tail. Very sweet. I love these wild creatures who are getting pushed out of so much of the wild country these days.

What a treat to watch these little critters water-rafting their dinner to the shore!

This is another of our protected animals. They are found almost right across europe to fairly near the eastern extreme of Russia. Evert will have these, but, as you know, not you Mark, they didn't make it into Ireland.
In mainland europe they live much more away from water (seem to be a subspecies)and are a bit of an agricultural pest, but in the Uk they seem confined to living near water and have declined spectacularly in recent years.

There is a captive breeding scheme near me and i've helped out with moving animals etc. Really amusing handling technique (those teeth mean business!!). Wearing thick leather gloves, you hold an empty 'Pringle' tube in front of them and (if you're lucky) they run in thinking it's a safe burrow - then you've gottem LOL!

How neat to see a creature so close and unaffected. They're larger than I imagined, although it did say they ranged from 12-20cm. I love the tip about the Pringles tube - what a smart idea.

How cute!! What a shame their numbers are decreasing. Is there any particular reason for that?

Dorise the demise of all wildlife is usually traced back to the likes of you and me. The species Homosapien

Yes, you're right Mark.

In this case it may be connected to the release of American Mink (from fur farms - sometimes escapes, sometimes deliberately released by "animal rights" people - did they consider the rights of the native wildlife?????)

Also a factor sems to be loss of suitable habitat, with waterway owners keeping their banks too neat and tidy so there is no cover and no food for animals such as these.

I guess I was hoping there might be another reason, besides us.

:o(