Trip reports

Silvermeade Water Vole Hunt

Thursday, 16 April 2009

We were shown round Silvermeade by Alison Hauser and two colleagues from Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust. They showed us how to identify the stems left by feeding water voles and other clues to their presence. We also saw how they tested for the presence of mink, one of the chief causes of water vole decline. We were joined on this walk by a family from Stevenage. During the morning we were lucky enough to have two fleeting glimpses of voles and certainly learned a lot about their habits and the measures being taken to protect them.
We also saw and heard our first cuckoo. Other spring arrivals included willow warbler, black cap and sedge warbler.