0:00:04 > 0:00:08The water vole lives in a world where a year is nearly a lifetime.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11It's a world we rarely get to see.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17Following a family of voles through the changing seasons,
0:00:17 > 0:00:20we'll get to know the real Mr Ratty.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34It's a little-known fact that Ratty from Wind In The Willows
0:00:34 > 0:00:37was actually a water vole.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39When you get up close to a water vole,
0:00:39 > 0:00:42you can see they're very different to rats.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45They have a much more rounded snout and overall shape.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48And their eyes are near the top of their head,
0:00:48 > 0:00:50so they can see when they are swimming.
0:00:50 > 0:00:55And let's face it, swimming is something they do a lot of.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03For one family of water voles, the Cromford Canal,
0:01:03 > 0:01:07in the picturesque Peak District of Derbyshire, is home.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11Although this is a man-made enviroment,
0:01:11 > 0:01:13the voles seem to be thriving here.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20Cromford Canal is no longer in use,
0:01:20 > 0:01:23so rich reed beds now line its banks.
0:01:26 > 0:01:27Along the canal's edges,
0:01:27 > 0:01:32rough stone walls provide plenty of nooks and crannies for the family to live in.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35It really couldn't have been better planned -
0:01:35 > 0:01:38from a water vole's point of view.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42Elsewhere in the UK, predators such as mink
0:01:42 > 0:01:46and habitat destruction mean water vole numbers are plummeting.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49But thankfully here this group of voles are thriving.
0:01:50 > 0:01:56It's spring on the canal and already lush new reed shoots are forming.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59This is a time of plenty for the voles.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03DUCK QUACKS
0:02:13 > 0:02:16The rotund figure of the water vole may be down to the fact
0:02:16 > 0:02:18that they never stop eating.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Ratty would never have been caught dieting.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25In fact, they have to eat three quarters of their body weight,
0:02:25 > 0:02:30every day, right through the whole year.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34Over 200 food items have been recorded in the water vole's diet.
0:02:34 > 0:02:39It seems they will eat just about anything they can get their paws on.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43Spring is also the time to stake a claim to territory.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46Fights often break out over border disputes.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56Males scent mark rocks
0:02:56 > 0:03:00to stake claim to their 100m or so of the bank.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03They may have more than one female within their range.
0:03:05 > 0:03:06The breeding season is long,
0:03:06 > 0:03:10lasting from March right through to September.
0:03:10 > 0:03:16During this time, as many as five litters of three to seven young can be produced.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30It's a busy time for all of the canal's residents.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33Dabchicks are brooding eggs on their floating nests.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37And moorhens are also busy tending their own clutches.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52The Cromford Canal was built
0:03:52 > 0:03:55to service the world's first water-powered cotton mill.
0:03:55 > 0:04:01Abandoned as a commercial waterway in 1944, nature soon reclaimed it.
0:04:09 > 0:04:14As summer warms up the valley, the cool canal is the place to be.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25And not just for the wildlife.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28The unique combination of history and nature found here
0:04:28 > 0:04:31attracts many visitors.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35Ratty was a sociable character,
0:04:35 > 0:04:39so it's little surprise that the vole family seem unconcerned
0:04:39 > 0:04:40by the many passers-by.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50As summer moves on, the canal is busier than ever.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52The dabchicks have hatched,
0:04:52 > 0:04:54as have the moorhens.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00DUCK QUACKS
0:05:00 > 0:05:01DUCKLINGS CHIRP
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Not all the new arrivals have it so easy.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06A mother duck is persuading her chicks
0:05:06 > 0:05:09to leave their lofty canalside nest.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15But it's a big drop for a small chick,
0:05:15 > 0:05:19so some of them are understandably reluctant.
0:05:20 > 0:05:25Finally, they take the plunge, some more gracefully than others.
0:05:41 > 0:05:47Luckily, the water voles don't seem to mind sharing the canal with so many other residents.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27With the arrival of autumn,
0:06:27 > 0:06:31the water voles try and build up a food store of roots and shoots
0:06:31 > 0:06:34to get them through the worst weather.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46It's been a good breeding year
0:06:46 > 0:06:49and the family's most recent litter have emerged.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52They are learning how to fend for themselves
0:06:52 > 0:06:54and must become water wise quickly.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05Young water voles are unfortunately bite-sized.
0:07:05 > 0:07:10A prowling grass snake makes a surprisingly good swimmer
0:07:10 > 0:07:13and would quite happily take a young vole.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23And under the surface the occasional pike lurks,
0:07:23 > 0:07:27waiting to snatch at anything which swims within reach.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41Winter has arrived on the canal.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43But even in the depths of winter,
0:07:43 > 0:07:47the hyperactive water voles can still be seen.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50The iciest conditions won't stop them.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54Autumn larders soon run out
0:07:54 > 0:07:58and they are forced from their burrows to find more food.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03Venturing out onto the ice is risky.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07Diving out of danger is no longer an option.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15The character Ratty loved life messing around on the river.
0:08:16 > 0:08:21Like him, it seems water voles wouldn't have it any other way.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24These busy bundles of energy just keep on going,
0:08:24 > 0:08:26despite the harsh weather.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30As water voles rarely live past 18 months,
0:08:30 > 0:08:32some of the eldest members of the family
0:08:32 > 0:08:36are unlikely to make it through this winter.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38But with so many new additions this year,
0:08:38 > 0:08:43Ratty's industrious family looks set to go from strength to strength.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51Subtitles by Mark Wilshin Red Bee Media Ltd 2005
0:08:51 > 0:08:55Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk