(Temporary)

The bank vole is the smallest of the vole species in Britain. However, it remains common throughout most of Britain, and a small colony has recently been found in Ireland. It does not seem to occur higher than 600 metres above sea level.

BANK VOLE FEATURES
The bank vole is small, at only 11.5 centimetres in length and 30 grams in weight. It is little wonder that the bank vole is extremely vulnerable to predators, such as kestrels, owls and weasels.

The adult has a red- brown coat, prominent ears, long tail, and a thick almost mouse-like build. The bank vole is a nimble creature that runs and climbs rapidly, and can swim well, often crossing wide stretches of water. They are often hard to spot, as they tend to appear as a red-brown blur streaking across woodland paths.

HABITAT
The bank vole is the common inhabitant of woodland, thick undergrowth along banks and hedgerows, and thickets of brambles and bracken on the woodland floor.

Due to the vulnerability to predators the bank vole tries to remain hidden, travelling along a system of worn routes that have been forced through the undergrowth, or along shallow tunnels that have been dug just below the surface. These worn routes form a network across a home range of about 40 metres, which is a large area for such a small creature.

FOOD
The bank vole feeds on seeds, nuts, fungi, berries, fruit, and also roots and bulbs.
It forages for its food along the woodland floor, or by climbing branches, depending on which food is available.

During the autumn months the bank vole harvests berries, seeds, and nuts ready for winter. It then digs a small isolated hole, fills it with the food, and then covers it roughly.

In some cases the food filled holes connect with its underground tunnels.

Bank voles are often located by the remains of food that they leave on the surface. Nuts are very neatly opened with a small hole with teeth marks round the edge. Fungi are nibbled round the edge and teeth marks are again visible. Berries are often nibbled while they are still on the branch.

BREEDING
The bank vole reaches sexual maturity at 4 - 5 weeks old, as, like most other rodents, it has a short life expectancy. Some may only live for a few months, although others will live for up to a maximum of 2 years The female vole often produces as many as five litters in a single year. The breeding season starts in the spring and reaches its peak during June.

The nest burrows are set in soft soil, normally between the roots of a large tree or shrub, and has several entrances to the surface.

The female gives birth to between 3 and 6 sightless, naked young in the underground nest, which is lined with grass, moss, and feathers.

The young are weaned off the mother's milk after two or three weeks.

They will be able to breed in a few months, and the females of the first litter of the season can produce a litter of their own later that same year.

LIFESTYLE
Bank voles usually have several short periods of activity throughout the day, however they are usually most active before dawn or after dusk. The home range of a bank vole can be up to 40 metres in diameter, but the males may travel long distances. These animals are gregarious and large populations can occur in small areas where the environment is suitable. Although the bank vole is a creature of deciduous woodland and scrub, it can also be found in open places like abandoned quarries and tumbledown walls where there is plenty of cover. The bank vole population is controlled by availability of food and predation. Bank voles are hunted by most species of owl, by kestrels in open areas and by weasels in woodland and hedgerows.