The cricetidae family.

The field vole.

Overgrown fields and places with long , rough grass are typical homes for the field vole, which also likes damp, tussocky grass. The field vole is aggressive and noisy, uttering  loud squeaks and angry chattering noises as they defend their small territories, driving out other voles. Each vole will make runways among the grass stems, usually on the tussock grass where it nests. The field vole feeds frequently, by day or night. Field voles are taken by a host of predators, but are prolific breeders. Populations in a favourable habitat often increase rapidly to number in their thousands- a vole plague. The plague is followed by a rapid decline, probably due to less successful breeding because of overcrowding and heightened aggression. These high and low populations occur at intervals of from three to five years, often accompanied by similar fluctuations in predator populations. Field voles are very abundant for a few years in young forestry plantations, but as the trees grow the cast a dense shade causing the grass to die, forcing the voles to go elsewhere. Some will survive on the grassy fringes, from where they can quickly recolonise grassy areas that develop once trees are felled. The normal life span of a field vole is about a year. Field voles are the main food for barn owls, forming around 90 per cent of their diet. Other animals that take the voles include kestrels, foxes, stoats, weasels and snakes. Its yellowy-brown colouring helps to distinguish the field vole from the red-brown bank vole, with a blunt nose and short ears, but it has a shorter, pinker tail and is also known as the short-tailed vole. The field vole has about a four inch head and body with a tail that is about one and a half inches in length. Adult field voles are very belligerent. They compete for territory and are quick to fight in its defence. The field vole is widespread in grassland and hedgerows in both lowlands and uplands, but none are found in Ireland. The main food of the field vole is grass stems, especially the lower stems  which are very succulent, they will also eat bulbs, roots and tree bark at low level. Four or five litters of from four to six young are reared between March and December. By ten days old they are furred and by sixteen days old they are full weaned. At six weeks old, young field voles are ready to mate. Field voles often nest under logs and other objects lying in the dry grass.

The tytonidae and the strigidae(owls) family.

Part one tawny and barn owls.

These two birds are fundamental to the British countryside,There's nothing more magical than seeing a barn owl hunting at early evening over a meadow on a summers night as the sun starts to set.Barn owls prey mainly on voles,rats and mice and this is what is fed to the chicks.A barn owls clutch varies from three to eleven eggs,depending on the food that's available.The male will feed the female during the 32 day incubation.But if food runs short due to supply or bad weather the eldest chicks will eat the smallest member of the group.Year after year many barn owls return to established roosts and breeding sites,these are normally at old barns ruined building or hollows in trees(unlike tawny owls, barn owls likes to have an elongated hollow in an old oak tree).The adult has white underparts,and golden-buff upper parts mottled with grey,And they have white faces.Both the sexes are alike,and about 34 Cm's in size.They breed from February to November and have a eerie,prolonged shriek that's often uttered in flight.Like the adult birds,Their young make a hissing noise,But if they get disturbed they will snap their bills together loudly.The young fly at about ten weeks old.Tawny owls are slightly bigger than barn owls,up to 38 Cm's in height,Their call is a 'hoo hoo hoo......hooooo' and not a 'too Whit too woo' as is more commonly thought.Their Young will call 'ke wick'.so you may sometime hear the adult bird calling to their young.Owls are silent in flight because of their soft plumage and the comb like leading edge to their wingtip,This allows the tawny owl to pounce from a perch,unheard by its prey.The tawny owl has really sensitive eyes and ears,This enable them to locate its prey in a really dim light.Their diet consists of small mammals,frogs,fish,insects and if the weather gets bad they will even eat worms from the floor.They nest in woodland,farmland and large gardens that have mature timbers.They nest in shallow scrapes at the bottom of tree holes,A single clutch is born in march of up to seven eggs,They are laid in intervals of up to a week,The incubation starts with the first egg and are white in colour,so once again like the barn owl there will be a big difference in the size of the chicks.Their young fly after about five weeks,after they have branched they will stay close to the parent birds.They have big black eyes to show they will hunt at dusk or at night,Both sexes are alike with their dark brown faces,and dark brown primary feathers that are creamy and brown underneath.Recently because of habitat loss for the tawny owl and loss of barns for the barn owl their numbers have started to decline .I want you to tell me of sightings of these two magnificent birds of prey,or if you have heard them calling let me know so i can start to find out how many of these birds there are around the Droitwich spa area,Because i have seen tawny and barn owl's that i have watched and studied move away from their old roosts because of a loss of a barn they were in and mature trees have been felled,Is this the story from other areas around the Droitwich spa area?

things to look out for in january

Hazel catkins during winter.

Now we are moving through winter,various animals and plants will slowly start to appear.Catkin's on hazel and alder trees start to appear,Hazel has a beautiful lemon yellow male catkins and red female flowers that will emerge from buds in the centre of the shoots.A breeze is all it takes for the pollen to start an amazing journey,a few will land on the female flowers,a few more make the nuts of autumn.Lesser celandine will carpet woodland floors and riverbanks during this month,they have a delightful yellow flower that tells you spring is on the way.Sparrowhawks may start building their nests now,depending on the amount of food that's around,For most of the time the sparrowhawk flies around unseen in dense cover throughout most of the year,but during winter because there are less leaves on the trees they become easier to spot.The sparrowhawk is an avian bird,this means they catch their quarry on the wing.There are around 32,000 sparrowhawks in Britain,this is our second most common bird of prey behind the kestrel.Lapwings feeding on a water logged field in the watery winter sun can be spotted during January.Starlings may be seen as well in large numbers looking for food and then coming down at night to roost,Wrens and tits may come into nest boxes to roost when it gets really cold,look out for them in your garden.Small mammals such as wood mice and bank and field voles may be seen as well,The wood mice will still be out looking for food so keep a look out for them,nibbling on shoots of grass are a give away,as their little bodies feel the squeeze of winter,they get bolder and more adventurous moving farther afield.Bank and field voles operate in runs as they move around looking for food,they will tolerate each other more during winter as they are searching for food,the runs are normally patrolled by one pair of voles.Small pellet-shaped droppings and fresh grass clippings are all giveaways that voles are in residence.Long tailed tits will come to your feeders in your garden during this month,but will most likely be seen off by the two great territory holders,the robin and the blackbird.Barn owls can be spotted,hunting low over fields looking voles and rats.Common frogs may not be spawning yet,the males will certainly be accumulating by their breeding grounds.Common frogs 'purr' and do not go 'rrribitt' as we have all been misled to believe.Damselfly,may and stone fly nymphs are stirring in our rivers waiting to emerge in spring and begin the cycle all over again.Fox's start mating during late December and January so its a good time to see the dog fox and his vixen together.Foxes are getting vociferous as the breeding season comes into full flow.The 'wow-wowing' bark and the blood-curdling scream,produced mainly by the vixen,are their way of getting the lowdown of who`s who and where.