Secret Garden
Bank vole (Myodes glareolus)
Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons
The bank vole is Britain's smallest vole, measuring 8-12 cm, with a tail 6 cm long. It lives from 6 to 18 months in grassland, farmland, woodland, moors, or gardens.
I am probably late to watching the series but have just seen the first of five episodes of ‘Secret Garden,’ introduced by David Attenborough. Superb camera work brought to life the lives of insects, tiny mammals, like bank voles, jewel-like kingfishers, a grass snake swimming, and otters, among many other wonders.
The setting was a river surrounding a mill house in Oxfordshire, whose garden is flooded regularly. As is common with wildlife documentaries, there were moments of tension - an otter stalked nine ducklings unable yet to fly, and their mother acted as a decoy to save her brood.
Red kites soared above. They are scavengers but will take an easy meal of small prey if it presents itself. Aggressive damselflies feasted on mayflies.
The skill and patience of the camera men (and they usually seem to be men!) was matched by their hardiness. I don’t know how many people would willingly sit in a hide in a river for five days to capture an elusive otter on film.
If you have already seen this programme, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. If you haven’t, please watch it if you can.
What is the difference between a vole and a shrew?
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