Water Voles Wild


Water Voles

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The water vole lives in a world where a year is nearly a lifetime.

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It's a world we rarely get to see.

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Following a family of voles through the changing seasons,

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we'll get to know the real Mr Ratty.

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It's a little-known fact that Ratty from Wind In The Willows

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was actually a water vole.

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When you get up close to a water vole,

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you can see they're very different to rats.

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They have a much more rounded snout and overall shape.

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And their eyes are near the top of their head,

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so they can see when they are swimming.

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And let's face it, swimming is something they do a lot of.

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For one family of water voles, the Cromford Canal,

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in the picturesque Peak District of Derbyshire, is home.

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Although this is a man-made enviroment,

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the voles seem to be thriving here.

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Cromford Canal is no longer in use,

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so rich reed beds now line its banks.

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Along the canal's edges,

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rough stone walls provide plenty of nooks and crannies for the family to live in.

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It really couldn't have been better planned -

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from a water vole's point of view.

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Elsewhere in the UK, predators such as mink

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and habitat destruction mean water vole numbers are plummeting.

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But thankfully here this group of voles are thriving.

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It's spring on the canal and already lush new reed shoots are forming.

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This is a time of plenty for the voles.

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DUCK QUACKS

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The rotund figure of the water vole may be down to the fact

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that they never stop eating.

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Ratty would never have been caught dieting.

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In fact, they have to eat three quarters of their body weight,

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every day, right through the whole year.

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Over 200 food items have been recorded in the water vole's diet.

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It seems they will eat just about anything they can get their paws on.

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Spring is also the time to stake a claim to territory.

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Fights often break out over border disputes.

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Males scent mark rocks

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to stake claim to their 100m or so of the bank.

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They may have more than one female within their range.

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The breeding season is long,

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lasting from March right through to September.

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During this time, as many as five litters of three to seven young can be produced.

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It's a busy time for all of the canal's residents.

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Dabchicks are brooding eggs on their floating nests.

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And moorhens are also busy tending their own clutches.

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The Cromford Canal was built

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to service the world's first water-powered cotton mill.

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Abandoned as a commercial waterway in 1944, nature soon reclaimed it.

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As summer warms up the valley, the cool canal is the place to be.

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And not just for the wildlife.

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The unique combination of history and nature found here

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attracts many visitors.

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Ratty was a sociable character,

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so it's little surprise that the vole family seem unconcerned

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by the many passers-by.

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As summer moves on, the canal is busier than ever.

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The dabchicks have hatched,

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as have the moorhens.

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DUCK QUACKS

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DUCKLINGS CHIRP

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Not all the new arrivals have it so easy.

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A mother duck is persuading her chicks

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to leave their lofty canalside nest.

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But it's a big drop for a small chick,

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so some of them are understandably reluctant.

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Finally, they take the plunge, some more gracefully than others.

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Luckily, the water voles don't seem to mind sharing the canal with so many other residents.

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With the arrival of autumn,

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the water voles try and build up a food store of roots and shoots

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to get them through the worst weather.

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It's been a good breeding year

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and the family's most recent litter have emerged.

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They are learning how to fend for themselves

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and must become water wise quickly.

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Young water voles are unfortunately bite-sized.

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A prowling grass snake makes a surprisingly good swimmer

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and would quite happily take a young vole.

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And under the surface the occasional pike lurks,

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waiting to snatch at anything which swims within reach.

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Winter has arrived on the canal.

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But even in the depths of winter,

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the hyperactive water voles can still be seen.

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The iciest conditions won't stop them.

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Autumn larders soon run out

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and they are forced from their burrows to find more food.

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Venturing out onto the ice is risky.

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Diving out of danger is no longer an option.

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The character Ratty loved life messing around on the river.

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Like him, it seems water voles wouldn't have it any other way.

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These busy bundles of energy just keep on going,

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despite the harsh weather.

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As water voles rarely live past 18 months,

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some of the eldest members of the family

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are unlikely to make it through this winter.

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But with so many new additions this year,

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Ratty's industrious family looks set to go from strength to strength.

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Subtitles by Mark Wilshin Red Bee Media Ltd 2005

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Email [email protected]

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