URBAN JUNGLE: WATER VOLES

It is a well-known fact that the humble water vole is now an endangered species and a rare sight on our country’s waterways. The water vole faces many threats, but habitat loss and predation by American mink are tipping the balance in the favour of ‘localised extinction’. These wholly man-made factors have reduced the water vole population by an estimated 90-95% from its pre-1960 level. Although nationwide projects to target suitable locations for reintroduction programmes and conservation efforts are underway, the water vole remains the UK’s fastest declining mammal.

FINDING WATER VOLES

Although water voles are habitually associated with the countryside, they are frequently discovered in urban streams and canals. In the urban scene, the water quality has been considerably improved over the years with waterways providing a wildlife corridor for these countryside characters. Even though there is less threat from mink, they still face predation by rats, domestic cats, and foxes.

Water voles can be found in any steady watercourse with steep banks and a water level that does not fluctuate significantly. They consume a surprising amount of reeds, bank side, and marginal plants (227 species have been identified in their diet) in order to satisfy their insatiable appetite and high metabolic rate. Although they feed throughout the day, their activity is interspersed with periods of rest, so expect a few quiet patches during your watch.

Winter is the perfect time to see water voles. By November, the majority of marginal vegetation has died back, exposing clear stretches of water and banks. Water voles now have to travel further across these open spaces to reach vegetation, meaning you have a better chance of spotting them. They will either feed on the spot, or harvest the plants and return to their burrow with the food in their mouths. I usually stand on the banks and use my binoculars to search for movements in the reeds and ripples in the water.

LOCATIONS: For more help with finding locations for water voles, contact your local Wildlife Trust or the Environment Agency. These organisations have individuals or teams dedicated to conservation and water voles. Be sure to relay all your sightings back to the organisations. For locations near you, search the Internet with ["water vole"+locations].

Once you have found a good location, it is simply a matter of patience and an ability to sit still that counts. A water vole’s eyesight is quite poor but their hearing and sense of smell are finely tuned. Your approach should be slow and from downwind. If you cast your shadow over the watercourse, make a sudden movement or loud noise, they will dive with an audible ‘plop’ and head for the nearest burrow. They have entrances both above and below the waterline, so you will rarely see where they go.

GEAR

This is definitely one subject where you would be hard pressed to capture photographs without an SLR and a telephoto lens. I use a full-frame DSLR and focal lengths of between 400mm-840mm. However, once you have settled into your position, water voles can approach very close, so a massive prime lens is not always the best option. Nevertheless, due to the small size of water voles, you will need at least a 300mm lens, ideally with a teleconverter on a crop sensor DSLR. The shorter your lens, the more stealthy and patient you will have to be.

During the winter the trees are bare and more light reaches the water, hence you maybe able to handhold your camera. However, with longer focal lengths, camera shake is magnified, so I always recommend a beanbag or tripod. The choice will depend on whether you can get down to water level, or whether you need to shoot downwards over vegetation.

Occasionally I use fill-in flash to either soften contrast in bright sunlight or lift the scene in overcast conditions. I simply dial in –1.75 to -2.25 on the camera or back of the flashgun. Using flash on water can have an appealing effect as the light is reflected off a greater area, so softening the appearance.

ON LOCATION

This is not an easy wildlife subject to photograph, but your images will improve the more often you try. You may need to visit a location several times to get a good handle on their territories which can extend 10m-130m along a watercourse.

I have rarely seen water voles at the crack of dawn. In my experience, they wait for the sun to rise and the chill to lift before venturing out. I would still advise arriving early so you are in position and settled before they appear. By doing so, you can enjoy the best light with the potential for other wildlife subjects to appear such as stoats, deer, or even otters.

Find a spot where you can get low down to the water, with a clear view along the watercourse in either direction, and with the sun coming over your shoulder. I always pack a pair of secateurs to trim away annoying twigs or long reeds that obscure the view. Always make sure this is a good distance from a burrow before you disturb the bank side vegetation - if in any doubt, move further away.

The water vole has received limited legal protection since April 1998, through its inclusion on Schedule 5 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 (as amended 1997) in respect of Section 9(4) only (recently tightened through amendments in the CROW Act 2001). Legal protection prohibits interference with places used for shelter or protection, or intentionally disturbing animals occupying such places. For example, it is illegal to disturb, alter, or expose the burrow of a water vole.

METERING

Bright green reeds, water highlights, and shadows can prove problematic when it comes to metering and exposure. Generally, I use Aperture Priority (Av) and set my desired f/number. With a digital camera I have the luxury of a histogram and shoot a series of test shots over the scene to assess the very dark or very bright problem areas. When a water vole passes through these areas, I already know what exposure compensation I need to apply.

If the light is constant, with either blanket cloud or clear blue sky, I shoot another series of test exposures and review the histogram. I enter the best exposure setting in Manual mode, periodically reviewing the images and checking for accuracy. If you are shooting on film, then you can either use an external light meter, or take a spot reading from a midtone object such a rock, tree bark, or midtone green grass.

Metering systems can be fooled by a large area of one colour (especially a primary colour such as red, blue or green), very bright, or very dark subjects. All these situations will require [+/-] Manual Exposure Compensation (MEC). As a general rule, the metering system of every camera will evaluate the scene and calculate the exposure setting to create a midtone image. For example, if the subject is very bright like a swan, the metering will darken the exposure, if the subject is very dark, the metering system will lighten the exposure.

FOCUSSING

Water voles can move surprisingly fast. They seem to skim across the surface of the water and can quickly disappear behind reeds or dive underwater. Focussing on something so small and quick can be frustrating, but there are solutions:

Select your centre focus point as this is the most sensitive to movement with both vertical and horizontal sensors;
Once you spot a water vole, keep it in the viewfinder and do not take your eye away;
Track and pan as the vole paddles across the water and scurries through reeds;
If the vegetation is very dense, switch to manual focus and wait for the vole to pause.

In open water it is relatively easy to capture a couple of frames, but it will need to be bright (1/300th sec) to freeze-frame the action. In low light conditions, I usually wait for them to feed or groom on a perch, usually a submerged log or flattened reeds. With the speed at which water voles can move, it is certainly advantageous to use a support system that allows freedom of movement and panning.

COMPOSITION

Once a vole is feeding, you will have time to recompose the photograph. To be close enough for a full-frame portrait is rare, so use the ‘rule of thirds’ to position your subject in the frame. Composing a shot with a water vole on the bottom third intersection looking into space creates a perspective of context and habitat. If you are shooting at the water level, any reflections will be reduced to a blur. If you want reflections, increase your shooting height and shoot down onto the subject, leaving enough room at the bottom of the frame for the reflection.

THE WILDLIFE TRUSTS NEEDS YOUR HELP

The Wildlife Trusts are calling for members of the public to inform their local Wildlife Trust when they spot a water vole. For contact details of your local Trust and more information about what to look for and how to tell the difference between a water vole and a rat, visit the Wildlife Trusts website www.wildlifetrusts.org. You can also tell us where you have seen water voles online by filling in the 'Know Your Vole' form on this website.

Local Wildlife Trusts often run workshops about water voles that give you the opportunity to learn about these curious animals and get more involved in their conservation. If you would like the chance to find out more about water voles and the signs they leave behind, why not contact your local Wildlife Trust to see if they have any events coming up.