Wildlife stories: Walter the water vole

Water voles breed from late April until the end of September

Photographer Chris Beever has been back down to the riverbank to capture more of our wildlife...

After the excitement of watching my good friend Fred the kingfisher it was time to re-visit another one of my friends.

With Alfie the dog beside me, we headed to a quiet spot just outside Rufford by the river Douglas.

After a short wait, like a small furry tug boat, Walter the water vole made his appearance.

With the first signs and sounds of early morning urban life mainly in the form of tinkling milk bottles and the usual repertoire of garden birdsong, we headed to a our spot on the river. No hide was needed on this adventure and after a short walk along the river Douglas we reached the home of my friend, Walter the water vole.

Tucked away behind a large clump of butter yellow flag iris I could see that Walter had been busy extending his 2008 two door apartment to a 2009 six door mansion with scenic view. With the 6am summer sun warming the dew soaked grass we found a nice little semi-dry spot to settle down and wait for Walter to start his usual manic morning routine.

Goody bag

There is always something special about the early morning near a river, it's just something that I cannot explain, maybe it's the memories of getting up early as a young lad to go fishing or maybe it's just the soothing sounds and smells that always seem to surround the riverbank. From the assortment of flies that flicker in the sun's rays above the water's surface, to the fish that enjoy the unlucky few that accidentally crash land into the swirling current only to be sucked down by a big pair of roach's lips, there is always something going on in and around the river.

As we waited for Walter to wake up, we watched as Sarah and Billy the mute swans passed by with their young family.

TIPS & TRICKS OF THE TRADE Look for tennis ball sized holes in river and stream banks Try to remain still and quiet and wear dark clothing There is no need to use a hide or to hide your smell these little chaps only react to quick movements Water voles or water rats are protected by British conservation laws so do not disturb them, try piling up a selection of new grass or reed shoots in a mutually beneficial spot Keep your eye out for predators such as mink, barn owl, kestrel, otter and fox If you find a family of water voles report it to the Wildlife Trust as there is a general population count taking place Water voles start breeding from late April all the way through until the end of September

At first Billy held his family back with a few concerned hisses and on realising that me and Alfie were no threat to his young ones, he carried on past us giving Alfie a slight glance and a quick morning grunt.

Being the daft Lancashire lad that I am (acting like good old Johnny Morris) I answered back for Alfie in a daft voice: "Morning Billy." Even Alfie lifted his head up to see what was going on, waging his tail with excitement whilst keeping one eye on his goody bag that contained his breakfast made by mum.

After an hour or so of watching some of the river's other inhabitants go by and a pleasant riverside breakfast of Lancashire cheese butties and coffee - oh and not forgetting Alfie's freshly cooked sausage (hang on, me cheese, him sausage?) - Walter finally appeared.

Plopping out of his des-res mansion and into the river, like a little furry tug boat, he swam against the river's current towards us. With his oversized teeth parting the river's surface, the little chap fought his way to our side of the riverbank and scrambled up, only feet away from us. After having a quick look at Alfie just to make sure he was in no danger, Walter took his place at one of his favourite riverside dining tables.

Chugging off

Within a matter of minutes Walter had a nice selection of grass roots and some other greens laid out and ready to eat.

Now I myself love to eat and it has been said from time to time that I can make my way through a large amount of food (or "put it away" as us Lancashire lads and lasses say), and I know that Alfie is the typical "I will eat anything and everything you put in front of me" type of pooch, but my word, Walter must be the size-for-size food eating champion of the world.

We watched as Walter wobbled around the riverbank collecting new shoots to eat and I was surprised by the way he made his way through a vast pile of young green shoots that he constantly replenished, grasping them with his little pink hands and nibbling supersonically until nothing but a tooth pick remained. With a quick rub of the tummy and a little movement that we won't go into, he was off again chugging off to his next veg patch.

Apart from the odd occasion when Walter was startled by the sound of a local kestrel or the strike splash of a pike - he never stopped eating! After five hours of watching Walter chug back and forth across the river and gorge himself on the finest the riverbank had to offer, I decided it was time to go

With my images captured and a new insight into this greedy little chap's life, me and Alfie headed off back home. I found myself thinking that the character in the Wind in the Willows was somehow a slimmer version of the real thing and wondered how this funny, podgy fur ball could be mistaken for a common brown rat, that for some still remains the stuff of nightmares.

Article sent in by Chris Beever