The Vole's Tale

[Elen Sentier]

It all began at about 2 ack emma on Friday morning ... I was woken by that well-known mouthful-noise that cats make when they wish you to know how clever they’ve been at catching something. Not being in my usual ultra-aware state at just that moment I rolled over and mouthed things like, “gooogirl, eatitchupthen” to Olly cat. Of course, Izzy awoke and had to get in on the fun, so my night was further enhanced by various scurrying and pouncing noises to which I added (rather more forcefully) “Kill it and shut up! Eventually, I returned to my interrupted slumbers.



Fast-forward 20 hours.

I went up to bed early last night to get on with some writing which was going very well (another 3+ thousand words) when I was interrupted by scurrying noises and some chittering. ‘Oh no!’ I groaned, ‘damned cats didn’t eat it! And I’ll bet it’s a baby rat … alive and in my bedroom!!!’ I peered over the far side of the bed in time to see a small brown critter run under the bed. It then proceeded to attempt to climb the leg of the bed !!! Failing that it scampered under my bedside chest and had a go at scaling the other side of that. It’s amazing how accurately your ears can tell you what is going on!


Meanwhile, back on the bed, two slumberous cats were poked into wakefulness with the added words of, ‘*** do you mean by leaving rats alive in my bedroom?’ Needless to say the response was sarcastic to put it mildly; Izzy put her nose back under her tail with a decided switch and the mental comment, ‘It’s nothing to do with me, it was HER!’ which indeed it had been. Olly ignored me altogether.


So I scooped up Olly-the-culprit, detached her claws from the duvet and put her under the bed from whence the latest scrabblings were coming. Olly added to them. Izzy got up and kept up her end in the palaver. This continued for some time. The brown critter scooted under the first bookcase, round the back of the second, made an attempt at climbing the back of the chest of drawers, furtled about under the wardrobe, attempted to climb up behind the radiator, etc, etc.


I, in the meantime, was writing quite successfully despite the racket. Then the critter came out into the open by the bed right beside me … but on the floor, so my heart and adrenalin levels were fine!


I looked. ‘That’s not a rat,’ I said. The critter was about the size of a baby rat but far rounder, different shaped head and, most distinctly, a little short furry tail.

‘Oh bugger,’ I said, ‘it’s a vole!’

This meant rescue. For one, the cats wouldn’t eat it – apparently they taste bad, I wouldn’t know, I’ve never tried one! And for two, I rescue voles – they are not on the list of excess critters around this place, unlike rabbits and rats. OK, next problem(s) … can I reach the small towel? Can I get out of bed without scaring it so it runs and hides?


First problem was overcome successfully; towel in hands, I let my feet over the bed. The vole froze – good sign … so far … but, as soon as the towel’s shadow touched it, it scurried back under the bookcase. Damn! I should have thought of that! Oh well, lesson learned. Back in bed, towel at the ready, I went back to the hero of the novel poling the boat containing himself, his friend and the badger into cave of oak-roots at the edge of the river Wye. I was soon interrupted by more scurrying and the reappearance of little vole.


Grab towel – quietly – stealthily get feet over side of bed, plonk towel over vole, stand up, vole finds way out from under towel before I can get there! Damn again !!! Spend some time telling the cats just what sort of perfect nuisances they are ... I’m not sure why I do this except it relieves my frustration. Back to novel … hero, friend and badger have discovered the Stone. More scurrying.


This ritual continues for another hour, we are now something past 1 ack emma.

There’s the vole! Right by the bookcase, pretty well cornerd. A neat throw of the towel, swift (for me) out of bed, gently grab towel where vole-bulge is. Got him! A slightly cross-sounding squeak confirms this but he didn’t bite me through the towel. Scoop up vole, wrap in towel so no chance of escape, down to the kitchen, shoes on, unlock door, walk vole-parcel round to the long grass and release. He went with a skip and a jump and a squeak. I did feel good .



Back to bed. Lecture the (now sleeping) cats again. Continue to end of chapter where the hero shapeshifts, grabs the villain, gets kicked in the stomach while more friends rush out of house to help and villain disappears in a mini whirlwind. All good stuff. I’m now 1/3 of the way through the book. The vole is back where he should be with friends and family, and an exciting tale to tell which will undoubtedly get him lots of free drinks at the Vole’s Arms




You must know the old saying, “dogs have owners, cats have staff” ??? I know my place !!!



And thanks, BR, but I’ve no need of extra sacks and bricks

 

[Harvestman]

A tale well told!

I like voles too. I once found a baby one up in the Black Mountains. It sat in the open, so I picked it up to see if it was alright. It promptly went up my sleeve, curled up and went to sleep! Getting it out was... interesting, as it didn't want to be disturbed.


I also remember being shown Skomer voles, which are basically very big bank voles found on the island of Skomer, off Pembrokeshire. They have two types: placid, and psycho. I was with a girl who was also being shown them. She was given a vole to hold. Placid. it sat in her hand and was stroked. I was given a vole. Psycho. Up my arm like a shot and leapt into the bushes off my shoulder. Gone in about half a second. Her turn. New vole. Placid. Sat there, posed for photos, got tickled. My turn. Pyscho. Up my arm, attempt to climb into my ear, off into the bushes, gone. "Sorry folks, not more than 2 each". Ho hum.

 

[British Red]

Wouldn't have lasted as long here

We have bank voles galore - field voles too. I like having them around for the owls, but they have reached epidemic proportions and attack my crops. Thankfully neither are "schedule 5" protected (which water voles are).

I am informed that vole numbers are down - but that shows me how blunt a tool "vole numbers are down" is - around here they are higher than I have ever known. We are probably talking 50-100 per acre

Red

 

[Elen Sentier]

Wouldn't have lasted as long here

We have bank voles galore - field voles too. I like having them around for the owls, but they have reached epidemic proportions and attack my crops. Thankfully neither are "schedule 5" protected (which water voles are).

I am informed that vole numbers are down - but that shows me how blunt a tool "vole numbers are down" is - around here they are higher than I have ever known. We are probably talking 50-100 per acre

Red

So ... what needs to be done with the habitat and environment to bring the vole predators numbers up? what is happening to the environment that the predator numbers are down? Might it be stupid humans who don't know how to work with nature but try to control it ??? The Earth manages very well without us so what are we doing wrong ??? We are the youngest species on the planet, behave like badly brought up teenagers and seem to have created more cock-ups than any other species in a very short time, planetarily speaking.

Sorry, that was me being snappy , it's being one of those mornings where I would cheerfully exterminate 95% of the human race if only I could work out what to do with all the stinking bodies!

 

[British Red]

The main mole predators here are owls (barn). They are breeding up but, as you know, predators trail prey by a year or two and I think we will see a high survival rate of barnie young this year with the increased food availability. Its a natural cycle and the "boom bust" nature of it is well understood - but it can be problematic for crops in the short term.

A warm winter will sort the voles (they do well in snow because they tunnel through the snow hidden from predators), as will a dry summer (which keeps grass short and the ground hard, again exposing them to predation). We have had neither for a few years, hence their explosion.

I suspect we have helped the voles too - lots of flowers means lots of seeds. We seed save veg and have planted an enormous garden - all increasing available food.


Vole 1 by British Red, on Flickr


We have added wildlife corridors and long grass "respite" areas for small mammals and insects. Its great, but gives a short term problem whilst the raptors breed up. We have seen marked increase in little owls and barn owl visits which is positive


Little Owl by British Red, on Flickr

Clearly we will provide nest sites etc. for these


Little Owl Box by British Red, on Flickr

Nature will balance it all given time - but in the mean time, we need to manage it. Its interesting that voles and moles seem to go hand in hand - when conditions suit one, they suit the other. I'm getting to be quite the "mole man" expert!

 

[TurboGirl]

What a wonderful post and replies it all makes me really anticipate your new book too, I hope I see this brave little lad make an appearance in there! I loved the bit on your face book post about the vole facing up to the cats, chittering and scolding them into such confusion they simply followed it around.... Bless!

 

[sandbender]

Thanks Elen I enjoyed that, I have had a similar experience with a mole scuttling around behind a bookcase, again I think they taste bad so the cat will quickly lose interest.

"...The Earth manages very well without us...would cheerfully exterminate 95% of the human race if only I could work out what to do with all the stinking bodies..."

The Earth usually exterminates up to ninety odd percent of everything now and again, so things will even out in the long run.

Mass Extinctions.