The common vole is a rodent and as the name suggests common throughout the UK and indeed the world. There are 155 species of voles. It is the staple diet of many animals including owls and other aerial predators like kestrels and also other animals like weasels and stoats, in fact the population numbers of these predators depends on the availability of the voles. Voles are active both day and night. Voles can quite easily be distinguished from mice by a number of features. The body is more plump and the snout more rounded. The tail of a vole is a lot shorter than that of any mouse and has some hairs growing on it, the eyes and ears are also smaller and the coat is a nice deep brown. I built a wall in my garden mainly to create a habitat for creatures like voles and am very pleased to say that it has worked well. It is very enjoyable to sit out on a sunny day and watch them scurrying about in search of food.

Watch vole videos.