Water voles

The elusive water vole, Arvicola amphibius is a rodent that is listed as vulnerable here in the UK. Predated on by the American Mink, Neovison vison that were released from fur farms back in the 1960s, the numbers have significantly decreased. Luckily, through mink management and release project around the country, we are seeing a steady number of water voles. We have a population of them at our Seaton Wetlands nature reserve and regular surveys are conducted to provide data on their movements and for our future habitat management plans for this species. Being such a secretive mammal, they can be hard to spot, however, clear signs they are around are feeding meadows and latrines. Latrines are an area where water voles leave faeces on each side of their territories.