Water Vole

Earlier today we enjoyed our first ever visit to Askham Bog YWT Reserve. Two miles SW of York, its an ancient relict fen, with a one mile boardwalk route through the reserve.

To our left we heard a loud rustle in the vegetation at the waters edge. Having read on one of the information boards that Roe Deer are often seen in the area we stood still & silent in anticipation of a deer. The noise continued but no deer appeared. I crept along the boardwalk walking far enough to gain an unobscured view of the far bank whereby I noticed a much smaller mammal. Initially I thought it was a rat but this was more rounded and didn't have the ears or the tail of a rat.


It was a Water Vole, Arvicola terrestris. We'd never seen one before & luckily managed to observe it for a good few minutes.

They eat grasses & waterside vegetation. Their most important predators are mink and stoats.

After a couple of minutes it swam over to the near bank.

When it reached the near bankside it lowered its head below water level & its head became covered in weed. You can just make it out in the next two shots.

The Water Vole returned to the far bank and removed the pondweed in a flash, too quick for me to capture anyway.

It disappeared underwater with a 'plop' which Ive subsequently read is characteristic of Water Voles. What a fantastic discovery. The Mammal Society have more information about these wonderful creatures.