Return to the Oxford University Museum of Natural History

After 14 months the University of Oxford Museum of Natural History has reopened it's doors.  During that time the splendid gothic roof has been repaired and for the first time since it was opened in 1860 it has not leaked.
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As always the cast of the Tyrannosaurus Rex makes an impressive centre piece.
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It takes something special to outclass a dinosaur and on the opening Saturday it was by the opportunity handle some live exhibits, including this Pervian bird eating spider:
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But even this was outclassed by a remarkable Leaf Insect:
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Now it has reopened, there will be many opportunities to enjoy the museum, including an new exhibition on Wytham Woods and what looks like a rearranged Dinosaur collection.

And as there is now a cafe in the top gallery there is no need to leave to get a cup of tea and cake.

The museum now has a twitter account: https://twitter.com/morethanadodo

And a new blog: http://morethanadodo.com/

Seven Days Later

A week after the river was threatening local houses and despite very heavy rain, it has now dropped to more normal levels.
And what once looked like large lakes have been reduced to puddles.
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Although the strong winds have bought down several trees, including this one on the old canal.
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But the inclement weather does not seem to deter the otters with more otter spraints in different locations.
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Elsewhere along the river, it seems rodents have been reduced to gnawing branches. As there aren't usually squirrels at this part of the river it adds to the circumstantial evidence that the water voles have moved away the river for the time being.
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More Rain!!!

On the morning of Saturday 8th Feburary, the seemingly never ending rain had caused the river to once burst it's banks, this time it seems higher than a couple of weeks:
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The Ladgygrove Meadow is also now under water:
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At the moment it looks like some of the water voles may have moved to slightly higher ground:
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As always, there is someone looking to make the most of any displaced creatures.
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After the flood

It's now been two weeks since the flood waters have receded and what were once swollen banks and flooded fields:

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Are now large puddles and the normal exposed high banks:

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The floods can be mixed for the local wildlife.  Very young otters (under a month) can drown as they would still be in a holt and unable to swim.
But for older otters it may present more of an opportunity, such as this drowned rabbit, which has probably been swept downstream and provided a change from the usual diet of fish:
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High water and flash floods can be disastrous for water voles as their burrows can become flooded and they too can be drowned.
However as the Ock floods most years, the water voles need a surveil strategy, so perhaps they move further away from the river in winter, as these snail shells several metres from the river have been gnawed by a small rodent (possibly a water vole):
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Prolonged flooding can also have a disastrous effect on the animals which predate such small mammals like owls and kestrels.
But if the flooding is only for a short period then it may have the opposite effect as the voles and mice are displaced it may offer extra hunting opportunities, such as for this kestrel in a tree overlooking the floodplain:
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Winter Floods 2014

The heavy rain that fell over Christmas and at the start of the new year once again resulted in the river and it's tributaries bursting their banks flooding the Ock Meadow flood plain - as seen on Saturday 4th January.

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By Friday 10th January the river level had dropped, but the lower Ock was still very high:

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Although the weir where the upper and lower Ocks rejoin was completely submerged.
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And the often photographed and benchmark for river levels was half way down the T of Bristol when this photograph was taken on Friday morning.
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Whilst the Ock has been high this year, it has not been as problematic as the Thames. Whilst     Oxford has been badly hit (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-25638919) most of the Abingdon flooding has been consigned to the fields that make up the floodplain.
Such as Barton Fields:
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And the nearby fields:

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Winter Migrants

As autumn slowly turns to winter, there is very little to see on the Ock - most of the surviving water voles (if any) now spend most of their time in their borrows, the adult insects have died and leaving their young to overwinter as eggs, nymphs or lava and the summer migrants - (warblers, swallows and hobbies) have returned to Africa.
Whilst a few winter migrants like redwings will hang around the hedges near the Ock a better place them is Otmoor.
Frequently featured in this blog, Otmoor is an expanse of meadows and wetlands just north of Oxford:
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It is here that dozens of lapwing come to spend the winter:.
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But the real stars are the starlings, with winter migrants from northern Europe and as far away  boosting their numbers to tens of thousands, making their flocks just before dusk one of the season spectacles in Oxfordshire.
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Water voles 2013

A recent report by the Environment Agency and the Wildlife Trusts have indicated that the UK water vole population has decline by 20% this year:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23975749

It certain matches what has been happening on the Ock, having done six water vole surveys this year (three on the Ock in Abingdon and three on Nor Brook to the west of Marcham Mill) there have been no positive signs of water voles -  latrines or sightings.

Also, with regular trips down to the river there have been significantly fewer sightings in 2013 when compared to previous years - as illustrated in the chart below.

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When in 2011 & 2012 there were multiple sightings during 2011 & 2012, I have only had 5 sightings this year and most of those were on the Lower Ock, such as this one taken back in April:
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There are several possible explanations for this:

• Small mammal populations fluctuate and this could just be part of the natural population cycle (and 2011 could have been a population boom).
• The bad winter and the poor spring could have hindered the breeding season, possibly unlikely as other water vole populations in the area are doing very well.
• Despite control up stream a breeding population of mink could have established itself along the Ock.
• Or just plain bad luck, maybe the population of the Ock has not changed, but I have just been unfortunate with sightings this year (and this is far from a scientific study).

It is difficult to draw any conclusion from just one year, but as water voles (like most small mammals) are prolific breeders hopefully the population will re-establish itself next year.
If not, then there could be something seriously wrong with the river, especially as Abingdon and the Ock are important locations for an animal which has had a torrid time in recent years.