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Produce => Wildlife forum => Topic started by: Mrs Ava on August 02, 2005, 00:08:27

Title: Not a mole but living in a hole!
Post by: Mrs Ava on August 02, 2005, 00:08:27
Last week I noticed all of my french beans had been munched just about ground level!  They were sturdy little plants, with beans on, and the beans hadn't been touched, just the stems cut in half!  I was very cross, but couldn't work out what it was.  Today when weeding around the runners, which are untouched, I found a hole, a perfect circle, about 2 inches in diameter and I thought....hmmmm....so I plunged my trowel in, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a movement, and out of another hole, popped what I assumed was a mouse.  Quite large - not a rat, I know what a rat looks like, even baby rats I know....dark brown, small snout, didn't even see a tail!  He looked at me and scuttled, yes, scuttled off into the plum trees at the end of my plot.  I went to see if I could see the little critter, but all I got was a mouthful of abuse from the brown thing!  Chittering and chattering...not squeeking, definate chattering.  So, a mouse or a vole?  And why only my french beans stems??  I did find the other hole and caved that one in also and saw him scuttling around a bit later, but made lots of noise, and jiggled the bushes so am hoping he finds a new home (ahem...on someone elses plot!)
Title: Re: Not a mole but living in a hole!
Post by: Roy Bham UK on August 02, 2005, 00:19:07
 >:( Cheeky little critter :( Hope he got the message ;) ;D
Title: Re: Not a mole but living in a hole!
Post by: Robert_Brenchley on August 02, 2005, 00:52:46
If it's mouse sized with small round ears and not much tail, that's a vole. The field vole is common anywhere there's long grass or similar vegetation; I get them on my plot.