anyone fancy playing detective with me?

[learningtofly]

Hello never posted in gardening before but I need some help and this seemed the best option. It's more a wildlife mystery but it is happening in our garden.

Parts of our garden are extremely neglected/au natural - its on the list of big DIY jobs to do this year and if you imagine a big fat L shape we have the local (freshwater) millstream on the longest border of the garden.

The bank to the stream is quite steep and having cleared it of prickly brambles last year its mainly covered in nettles but accessible with caution.

Last week we noticed holes appearing in the bank which definately weren't there before - there's about 7 in total which look animal made rather than natural erosion and are about fist sized. I've had a good peer and they look tunnelish.

My first thought was rats but we haven't seen any sightings or any droppings at all and having done some googling they prefer stagnant water.

Any ideas? Is there an outside chance it might be water voles? and what should/shouldn't we be doing?

Many thanks

Learningtofly: sorry- but I think it may be rats. A river runs round my garden and we also live in the countryside. Rats are a big problem. I have rarely seen one during the daytime but that is not surprising as they mainly come out at night. They love burrowing into riverbanks!

Oh pants I was hoping it wouldn't be - there are so many cats around I had hoped they would be doing their cat-thing

Is it worth getting pest control out? I wouldn't want to put anything down myself incase I finished off the ducks and the local hedgehog.

Dh is clutching at straws - his latest suggestion was kingfishers - we do see one flying around regularly but that's even far stretched for me!

I should add we are in a rural area but in a village centre - on the other side is the local preschool garden so I might ask if they've seen anything.

Our plan is to build a retaining wall to shore up the bank - maybe that might deter them in the future

As he sat on the grass and looked across the river, a dark hole in the bank opposite, just above the water's edge, caught his eye, and dreamily he fell to considering what a nice snug dwelling-place it would make for an animal with few wants and fond of a bijo riverside residence, above flood level and remote from noise and dust. As he gazed, something bright and small seemed to twinkle down in the heart of it, vanished, then twinkled once more like a tiny star. But it could hardly be a star in such an unlikely situation; and it was too glittering and small for a glow-worm. Then, as he looked, it winked at him, and so declared itself to be an eye; and a small face began gradually to grow up round it, like a frame round a picture.

A brown little face, with whiskers.

A grave round face, with the same twinkle in its eye that had first attracted his notice.

Small neat ears and thick silky hair.

It was the Water Rat!

Then the two animals stood and regarded each other cautiously.

`Hullo, Mole!' said the Water Rat.

`Hullo, Rat!' said the Mole.

I would ring your local council and ask what they advise. We have a retaining wall the whole way round the river - it is to shore up the riverbank. However building a retainer wall will not keep rats out. They will climb it easily.

DH (the rat expert) keeps poison at our boundaries. He puts it into drainpipes so the birds don't eat it. We have lots of arable farmland near us and that attracts them.

I would definitely ring your council and they should know if it could be water voles.

For some reason the idea of voles seems nicer than rats. I'm clinging on the extreme possibility its not rats. Dh is sticking to the kingfisher theory

I can't seem to find anything on the internet that tells you how to spot the difference without actually seeing one in the fur.

DH says that if it is rats you would be more likely to see one at dusk. He also says your DH is right - it could be a kingfisher.

Any rat droppings will be brown in colour and resemble the shape and size of fish oil capsules.

Thanks for your help.

No sightings of anything tonight so I live in hope!

Just a quick update.

Garden watch has been in action but still no sign of anything. However I have spoken to my neighbours today and has seen voles over the years in her garden so she thinks its most likely to be that rather than rats. :)

Great news- I am delighted it's not rats! I have just spent the afternoon electric fencing my chickens. A fox killed two on Thursday - so we are now dealing with another type of pest!