A unique opportunity to learn water vole surveying techniques alongside local ecologist Anna Rowlands and her expert team.

This elusive and endangered mammal inhabits the waterways around Eynsham. During this hands-on workshop, you’ll discover how to identify the tell-tale signs of its presence, from neatly chewed vegetation and feeding remains to footprints and its characteristic droppings.

Bring a packed lunch and wear suitable clothing (long-sleeved clothing, sturdy boots or wellies, and bring along some gardening gloves and maybe even a walking/ranging pole).

We at the NRN are moving into our fourth year of water vole surveys, and any data collected from these surveys are being shared with the local biological records centre (TVERC) as well as with BBOWT.

We invite you as volunteers to come and join us in the survey, and you will be paired up with an experienced lead water vole surveyor. Surveys are based on looking for signs of water voles in the context of droppings, footprints, feeding remains, latrines, paths and burrows.  If you are very quiet, you may in fact see a water vole with your own eyes.  This has been a really fun and interesting day previously. Gaining experience in these surveys means that you can get involved in years to come.

2023 was our first year where we undertook detailed surveys along different sections of the River Thames water network in and around Long Mead. We identified water vole populations living along the Wharf Stream, River Thames, Limb Brook and Eynsham Mead Ditch.  We hope to continue surveying these sections on an annual basis to monitor the continued status of these local water vole populations. 

So come along, enjoy a day with Ratty and gain some experience and enjoy the outdoors and beauty of Eynsham.

Please make sure that you sign up on the website as we really need to keep track of numbers.