Water vole family snapped moving home
Landscape and nature photographer Davis Shawe chanced upon a water vole family moving home in the reedbed at WWT Arundel Wetland Centre. David Shawe said “I always bring my gear with me on such outings. This time however I was blessed with a lucky and magical encounter.”
David was walking the boardwalk through the SSSI reedbed when his partner saw a female water vole making trips back and forth across the water. Through a telephoto lens David watched the female water vole ferrying three baby voles across the water in her mouth. “They appeared to be moving home!”
Water voles live in burrows in the banks of rivers, streams and reedbeds. Up to 8 baby voles can be born in a litter. By the time they are weaned the youngsters are half the size of a full grown water vole.
Water voles are semi-aquatic mammals and have a burrow entrance underwater as well as entrances above water. Water voles were reintroduced to the Wetland Discovery areas of WWT Arundel Wetland Centre in 2005. The population is thriving and has spread throughout all areas of the reserve. Water voles are the UKs fastest declining mammal. The UK Government implemented full legal protection for water voles since April 2008.
