Have you seen water voles around the North East Wales Coast?

Help us to get 'Ratty' on record by letting us know about your sightings.

Water voles were previously immortalised as "Ratty" in Kenneth Grahame's classic children's book Wind in the Willows. At the time the book was published a century ago in 1908, water voles could be seen along many of the country's rivers. However since then, their numbers have declined by 90% nationally.

The main reasons for the decline of water voles are the reduction in suitable habitat and predation by American mink.

As part of the North East Wales Coastal Water Vole Recovery Project we are asking for the public to join in the 'vole hunt' by reporting any sightings they have of water voles in the North East Wales area.

We have a basic understanding of water vole distribution in our project area but we have lots of gaps and many of the sightings are very old. At the moment people might be spotting water voles when they go on walks or are lucky enough to see them at a local pond or ditch, but they are keeping the information to themselves and we would like them to share it with us so that we can target conservation efforts more effectively.

If you've seen a water vole then please spare a few minutes to fill in our online recording form (you can even attach photos if you have them).

Recording Water Voles Online

If you are not registered on the Cofnod website, please fill in a registration form (this should only take a couple of minutes).

If you are already registered, log in then follow the instructions below...

Choose then select Standard Entry

Please try to fill in as many parts of the form as possible as it will help us draw up a more complete picture of the factors affecting water vole distribution, it should only take between 5 and 10 minutes of your time. Don't worry if you're unsure of anything; as a minimum only the compulsory parts marked with * must be completed.

Water Vole facts

• Water voles are commonly mistaken for brown rats but you can identify a vole by its:
  • Chubby face with blunt nose
  • Small ears almost hidden in fur
  • Rich, chestnut brown colour
  • Tail covered with fine hairs
  • 'Plop' sound as it enters the water
• The water vole breeding season is from March to September and so only burrows and occasional sightings will be evident outside this period.
• Water vole presence in a habitat can also be indicated by some key field signs including:
  • Latrines – Water voles often leave droppings in the same place over and over again, creating a latrine. Water vole droppings are dark green or brown in colour (when fresh), are odourless and rounded at both ends, like a Tic-tac.
  • Feeding remains – Water voles are primarily herbivorous (eating a variety of waterside plants) having to eat 80% of their body weight in food every day. Water voles leave neat piles of chopped vegetation, approx. 4-10cm long with ends cut at 45°.
  • Burrows - Water voles live in burrows excavated within the banks of rivers, ditches, ponds and streams. Burrows are normally 4-8cm across and wider than they are high being found up to 3m from the water's edge with numerous entrances including some below water.

REMEMBER: Water voles are a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. As such it is an offence to intentionally or recklessly:-

• Damage, destroy or obstruct access to any structure or place which water voles use for shelter or protection
• Disturb water voles while they are using such a place.