The NRN Annual Water Vole Survey Update

Date for your diary: Saturday 18^th May 2024, 10:00 – 16:00, meet at Long Mead Barn. 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 third year of annual 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. This year we are considering adding some additional sites to our survey area, after confirming the presence of water voles at the Fish Ponds, which connects to the Chillbrook.

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

Anna Rowlands

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