Yesterday I was sat onmy allotment having my tea break when a large vole (I think) came running down the path. It was about 5 or 6 inches long,stubby face, light brown with no tail and appeared to not see where it was going very well as it tripped over a plastic carton!! then it disappeared into some bushes. I am guessing it was a vole as it wasnt a mouse nor a rat. What do you think it was?
Vole?
Oh wow, you have a resident endangered watervole (Ratty from the Wind in the Willows)
What a perfect description - no doubt whatsoever!
Do you have water nearby? If so look for holes in vertical banks at the waterline. You may also find their "lawns", which is where they graze.
These are often close to the holes, particularly if there is a female with young. If she can she'll leave her rear end in the hole and graze all the grass she can reach leaving a circular "lawn".
Yes I've noticed they can appear quite clumsy and unaware of their surroundings. I think they rely a lot on sound and picking vibrations up through the ground. When I've been standing still and downwind they've come really close to me a few times.
This message was edited Sunday, Apr 13th 6:49 AM
Here's some info from the Mammal Society's "How to Find and Identify Mammals"
Water vole and brown rats
Water voles and brown rats create burrows of similar size, within about 1 metre of river banks.
Breeding water voles have a 'lawn' of nibbled grass in front of the entrance due to their habit of grazing in close proximity to their burrow. Brown rats, however, tend to have a fan of excavated soil in front of the entrance holes and are joined by well worn 'rat runs' which may even pass under water. In the breeding season water voles also have several 'latrines' within their territory, which have a pile of dark green droppings, some of which may have been trodden into a mush. Rats generally make their burrows near a food source and may also leave droppings nearby.
Thanks for that Philomel. He really was a lovely chap! I have no idea where he came from he just came running down the path though I think he probably came from the only vacant plot there is, which is totally overgrown with grass. Do you think he could be nesting close to that? There is a large stream in the woods nearby but it is some distance away, and I would have thought too far away if his nest was nearby the allotment.
OMG!!!!! I have just realised. The info states they build latrines!! The vole was coming from my husbands plot which he is digging over. The children found a hole with a long tunnel attached which they followed for a while but when it went over onto the next allotment they could dig no further!!!! I thought it was a mouse hole there are lots of mice here. I hope it wasnt for the vole, and we have disturbed him? I feel terrible now! :(