Between 6.30 and 7.30 in the evening is as good as time as any to observe them, as they swim across the river...
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Or lurk just inside their burrows....
Or just lurk on the river bank....
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Or lurk in the river itself.....
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Or being argumentative with each other, possibly this is a female fending off the unwelcome advances of a male.
Look at 'em go! They are sooo cute!
ReplyDeleteThey are busy, aren't they? Great to see.
ReplyDeleteLovely pictures. I particularly like the second one where the water vole is looking out of his/her burrow. Well done, you must have a lot of patience.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your comments
ReplyDeleteEllen: They are very cute, but this can be deceptive, female water voles have been known to fight to the death for territory
Kate: They are very busy, maybe it's because I've mastered the art of watching them, but there do seem to be more about at the moment.
Rachel: Thank you for your kind words. Actually it is not that hard to get water vole photos on the Ock at this time of year (I saw 3 in 15 minutes earlier).
Hares are a lot more difficult, I spent some time trying to take a picture of one at the weekend - gradually crawling along a field to get closer - only to find it was a female duck.