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.

Animals at sea.

For our wild animals we tend to think of winter as a time of adversity and a season of scarcity, but in our waters there is food and plenty of it. Just off the coast of Ireland a gathering of fish heralds a great wildlife spectacle. Shoals of herring and sprat congregate in huge numbers to breed. In sheltered coastal waters this bounty of food draws in predators. Seabirds, dolphins and whales migrate to feed on the fish. Short winter days mean it is a race against time before the sunsets again. Birds spend most of the year looking for food hotspots, along with gulls, gannets and dolphins they are all  after  the breeding fish. There is an amazing array of wildlife in British waters, humpback whales are normally found in Alaska and Antarctica, but they are sometimes found off the coast of Ireland feeding on all of the fish, they will eat up to a tonne of fish. When the whale jumps out of the water it is said to be a form of communication, their have been up to twenty different humpback whales seen off the coast of Ireland which is testament to the rich waters that are off the coast of Ireland., but during February they will disappear from British waters to give birth because the Irish waters are to cold for them.

The nymphalidae family.

Part one the peacock butterfly.(inachis io).

Among butterflies, the peacock has one of the longest life expectancies, with adults living for around eleven months (July-June). Named after the bird, due to the similarity of their eyed markings, it is one of our most striking and colourful butterflies, belonging to the same family (vanessids) as the comma, painted lady, small tortoiseshell and the red admiral. Adults feed on a range of nectar rich plants, including scabious, sedum, echinacea and teasel.  During  summer they are most likely to be seen feeding on buddleia, building up their fat reserves in order to survive hibernation. The black, spiny caterpillars feed on stinging and annual nettles. Adults emerge from late July onwards. In a good summer, this generation may go on to breed successfully before the end of the year, with a late emergence of new peacocks in October. These adults hibernate over winter and reappear in March and April, to mate. Females lay eggs on large nettles patches. Caterpillars build up communal webs over the growing tips, which they strip bare, before dispersing to fresh vegetation where they pupate. The peacock butterfly is a nomadic species, with adults travelling throughout the countryside, They`re also commonly found in gardens, parks and woodland. Bucking the trend of many UK butterflies, the peacock has fared well in recent years. Not only has it increased its range northwards into northern England and central Scotland, but populations have also increased in number. Its not yet known how the species has fared after this years wet weather.

Habitats.

The river Dartmoor is an ancient and un-forgiving landscape, enigmatic and beautiful in the depths of winter. This seemingly barren place is the source of a vital lifeline created by the river dart. Many animals on the moor need regular fresh water. Red deer will drink at the stream and graze at its grassy edges. But up here in winter this vital resource can be locked away frozen for days on end. The winter sun eases the cold grip of short days and long nights. The darts peaty nutrient water is slowly released. The river dart is a fifty two mile journey from source to sea. Trickles join into streams, and fresh water brings life to a wintery world. Dippers stay on the river all year round, dense feathers insulate them against the cold as the dipper hunts for caddis fly and may fly nymphs that become more plentiful during winter. Dippers are one of our first birds breed because of this, many of them will be repairing their nests during January. Grey wagtails like fast flowing streams aswell, but they are more cautious, foraging at the streams edge for any insects that might of been washed up at the waters edge. Kingfishers depend on water to hunt, during the winter they will move to the sea if inland waters are frozen. The water from Dartmoor flows strongest from east to west, merging at dartmeet. Now one big river the dart flows south, getting stronger, deeper and boulder as it leaves the moorland behind. Twelve miles inland from the sea freshwater meets saltwater, which is home to rag worms and other food for wading birds like redshanks. Herons and cormorant patrol the river looking for fish for them to eat. The journey is over, all the way from the moor to sea, its nutrient rich journey is a lifeline for a whole host of animals, that come to rely on the river during the hard times of winter.

Corn bunting decline.

Over the past thirty years corn buntings have declined by an alarming 90%. They are a bird of arable land, and because of the way we manage our land they have declined dramatically. Yellowhammers and sky larks numbers have dropped over the past thirty years aswell. We use weed killers and pesticides on our non organic farms so arable fields turn into agricultural deserts. Vital plants that the birds rely on to survive are being killed by weed killers, these birds eat the seeds from various members of the dandelion family. Also pesticides are killing vital insects and their caterpillars and  larvae which are vital for the chicks of these three birds. So I would like you to tell me any sightings or records of these birds over the coming months. All these birds nest low down or on the ground so wild flowers and undergrowth are also vital for their survival.

Why is winter such a tough time and testing time for our wildlife?

Winter is a season of extreme, plummeting temperatures. Frost and snow means that food and water are in short supply. For wildlife its a real test of the fittest, right now animals and plants are facing up to this challenge, especially young animals that haven`t` experienced these sort of conditions before. But they have some clever strategies to see them through. Some migrate, some hibernate, some take on fat supplies and others store food. Its a time of remarkable behaviour. Winter also supplies some of the United Kingdoms most spectacular wildlife spectacles, for us it can be beautiful, but this is the most difficult time for every plant and animal.  

Identifying stoats, weasels and their relatives.

The weasel, stoat, pine martin, polecat, mink and otter are all members of the weasel family(mustelidae), and resemble each other in build, colouring  or behaviour. All are very active hunters with long, sinuous bodies and comparatively short legs. They often sit upright on their haunches to look round, and when moving fast they gradually bound along with the back arched. Males are usually upto fifty per cent bigger than females. Confusion is most likely between the squirrel-sized stoat, especially a young one, and the smaller weasel. It is possible to confuse the pine martin, polecat and mink(all three roughly cat size), and perhaps also a swimming mink and swimming otter- the otter is much larger but its size is not obvious in the water. But each has certain distinguishing characteristics, and usually can also be identified from its habitat, although the stoat and weasel are found in most types of the country. The mink and otter are likely to be seen in or near water, the polecat on farmland or lower hill slopes and the pine martin only in remote northern forests or moors in Scotland (although they are rumoured to be back in Wales). The pine martin, polecat and otter are mainly active at night, the stoat, weasel and mink can be seen during the day. Polecat identification can be confusing because of the existence of polecat- ferrets(descendants of feral ferrets), whose colouring can vary from pale to dark.