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