Otters live in rivers and streams and feed on fish and shellfish, hunting mainly at night. They have very thick fur to keep them warm when they swim and live in underground burrows known as holts. Otters used to be
The Bailey Bridge
Otter
Field Vole
Although rarely seen, field voles are quite common and are the favourite food of barn owls and kestrel. They feed mainly on grasses and can be found all year in areas of grassland.
Bank Vole
More of a chestnut colour than a field vole with a longer tail.
Daubenton’s Bat
This medium sized bat feeds mainly over water, trawling its feet across the surface to catch insects.
Water Shrew
Water shrews are excellent swimmers and will dive for their food.
Noctule Bat
Largest of Britains bats. Often roosts in woodpecker holes.
Common Pipistrelle
Smallest and most common British bat.
Common Shrew
Shrews have a venom gland to help them immobilise their prey and are able to use echolocation to hunt. Shrews do not hibernate but instead are able to enter periods of torpor where they shrink their bodies by up to
Soprano Pipistrelle
A recent species, only distinguished from the common pipistrelle (P pipistrelles) in 1999 based on different-frequency echo-location calls. The common pipistrelle uses a call of 45 kHz, while the soprano pipistrelle echo-locates at 55 kHz. The two are sometimes called the
Pygmy Shrew
Shrews have an exceptionally hig metabolic rate and, as such, have to consume 125% of their body weight in insects everyday. They are active during the day and night.
Mole
Moles spend most of their time underground in a complex network of tunnels, some of which may be used by multiple generations.
Badger
Badgers are nocturnal and spend the day in an underground series of tunnels, known as a set. Like humans, badgers are omnivores and will eat almost anything.
Red Fox
A highly adaptable species that has been able to colonise most habitats, including towns and cities.
Brown Rat
A highly adaptable species that has been able to colonise most habitats, including towns and cities.
Muntjac Deer
This small deer was introduced in 1894 and since then has spread across most of southern england. During the day it hides in dense bramble patches and the males have very sharp tusks which can be used in defence and
Stoat
Distinguishable from a weasel by its black tipped tail, stoats are fearsome predators for their size, regularly killing prey much bigger than themselves.
Weasel
Weasels are slightly smaller than a stoat with no black tip on their tail. They feed mainly on small mammals such as mice and voles and their slender shape allows them to fit into their prey’s burrows.
Rabbit
Rabbits were introduced by the Normans in the 1200’s for food and their ability to breed very quickly has allowed them colonise most of Britain. They live in large communal burrows known as warrens.
Grey Squirrel
Grey squirrels were introduced from North America in the 1800’s. Since then they have almost completely wiped out the native red squirrel through a combination of competition and disease.
Mink
Mink are an invasive species and a breeding population established following their escape from fur farms throughout the 1900’s. They are generally blamed for the drastic decline in water vole populations.