Supporting the Restoring Ratty project team as they released hand-reared water voles at Kielder has definitely been my most exciting working week yet!  

We arrived at the release site and started getting the release pens ready for the iconic little animals.  Each of the pens needed a comfortable bed of hay and brash to provide some cover from the blistering sun.

I was on brash duty, which involved cutting three short branches for each pen whilst a second person provided the hay or cut some apples and carrots for the voles. Brash cutting may not seem the most exciting activity but it did allow me to explore the release site and the water voles’ new home.

Now this is where the excitement begins - the actual releases! We followed Elle from the Derek Gow Consultancy, as she carefully released the voles into their new pens. It was lovely to see each little vole have a quick health check whilst being held on a Pringles tube.  After that, they were placed into their new bed of hay with some apples and carrots. This was a soft release which means the voles have some time to adjust to their new habitat from the safety of their pens.

A team of us delivered food to the voles’ pens for three days, before returning to attach a baffle board to the pen. Baffle boards, a wooden board with two holes cut in, allow the voles to leave the pen and explore whilst still having the safety and comfort of the release pen to return to.

Unfortunately, the voles were too shy to start exploring while we on the site so I didn’t get to see their first glimpses of the outside world.

On day seven, the pens were removed completely which means the voles were fully free to live in the beautiful Kielder Water and Forest Park.  This probably was one of the best experiences I have had during my Kickstart placement as there is something so rewarding about seeing their little faces up-close and knowing they soon will have a whole new world to discover.

Older voles, who are more likely to survive without any help, are released straight into the wild without the security of their pens to return to, this is known as a hard release. This did feel a little bittersweet as we had already released many into new comfortable pens, and these older voles went straight into their new home.

When I lifted the cage lid, the first vole cautiously wandered out and found some long grass to hide in. However, this vole’s cage companion was not best pleased about his nap being disturbed! He jumped up and ran straight into the stream, which must have been a shock as this was his first encounter with running water! I am sure they have found each other and are exploring the outdoors.

This was also a lovely experience to be a part of as it was a beautiful location and, as we released them to their new homes, some of the individuals went for a swim around the pond.

This week has to be one of the best weeks I have had on my Kickstart placement and would recommend anyone to be part of a release. I am immensely proud of myself that I was part of something so important and rewarding. I will definitely be taking the memories from this experience with me onto my next adventures, wherever they may be.