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Field or root Vole? (1 Viewer)

opisska

rabid twitcher
Czech Republic
Or something completely different? :) We were pretty excited to finally even glimpse something vole-y, but the small rodents are so difficult! It's next to the Siemanowka reservoir, NE Poland, went to hide to a pile of wood, habitats are marsh/water from one side, small pine forest from the other, some grassland surrounds.
 

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You might find that anything beyond 'probability' is impossible, many of these are identified specifically only, by looking at dentition.

Common Pine Vole Microtus subterraneus must be in the mix too?
 
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Is common vole ever this gray? And the teeth, there id no way but to catch them (which is illegal in Poland), right? Or is looking for bite marks on things any good?
 
Sot the takeaway here is I should come to UK to fulfill my vole needs :)

Or just buy a trap, I'm sure they'll mail it but I'd be surprised if it's illegal to catch rodents in Poland and anyway, just don't get caught.....:t:

I'm sure Poland has all the vole gratification you desire.
 
Or just buy a trap, I'm sure they'll mail it but I'd be surprised if it's illegal to catch rodents in Poland and anyway, just don't get caught.....:t:

I'm sure Poland has all the vole gratification you desire.

I just read it on mammalwatching.com specifically about Poland. Even in Czech Republic, I would feel "wrong" trapping any living animal without thorough investigation to the legality of such act. Maybe it's worth studying more, but I wasn't able to quickly find out whether trapping of voles is legal in Czech Republic, where I actually fluently understand the language, so finding out how is it in Poland, where I only get the gist of the text is even harder.
 
I would say root vole on the basis of tail length.

The tail length seems to be pretty different between the species indeed based on illustrations, do you know how reliable of a measure it is? Because Root Vole would then be really by far the best choice for that tail.
 
Referred these photographs to a guy who has conducted long-term research into rodents in Lithuania, ie just a few kilometres north of this individual. He traps large numbers each year of all the potential species that this individual could be - stating the obvious that grey voles are not easy, his opinion is that this individual cannot be identified. My expertise with this group is not enough to argue with him :)
 
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Not, unfortunately. Only I remember that this species, other than the field/common vole duo, can be recognized with difficulty at sight.

And some mammalologists say that it is overdue to develop visual key to identify small rodents (without killing and looking at their teeth), because bats which are equally similar to each other can be identified visually.
 
Can I ask then, what are the possible species? From the Polish list, Snow and Tatra do not occur in the area, Bank is supposed to be really visibly rufous and Water is quite different overall, so the suspects are Root, Field, Common and Pine?
 
Not, unfortunately. Only I remember that this species, other than the field/common vole duo, can be recognized with difficulty at sight.

And some mammalologists say that it is overdue to develop visual key to identify small rodents (without killing and looking at their teeth), because bats which are equally similar to each other can be identified visually.

Can they?

What's this then, Novi Sad, Serbia, winter 2014.

Our resident Bat expert in Nottingham, couldn't / wouldn't ID it.

Apologies Jan,don't mean to hijack your thread.
 

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.... the suspects are Root, Field, Common and Pine?

Of these, I am not sure of the abundance of Pine Vole in north-east Poland.

In Lithuania, despite quite intense study (trapping and obtaining the skulls and hind foots for identification), there are no records at all of the species.

It certainly does occur in Poland, as well as further north than Lithuania, but the range seems to arc around the territory of Lithuania - without me actually knowing the range in Poland, it would be reasonable to suppose Siemanowka is somewhere near the edge of the known range, perhaps it does occur there, but perhaps not. And if it does, maybe the abundance is low ...or maybe not :)

Maybe ask in Polish institute for ecology.
 
Can they?

What's this then, Novi Sad, Serbia, winter 2014.

Our resident Bat expert in Nottingham, couldn't / wouldn't ID it.

Apologies Jan,don't mean to hijack your thread.

Its a Noctule sp, I've no experience of Greater Noctule to rule that out but it certainly isn't Leisler's (=Lesser Noctule).

My gut says normal Noctule, and I note the Wikipedia list of mammals for Serbia doesn't mention Greater Noctule.

I also don't mean to hijack the thread. Sorry Jan!

John
 
Its a Noctule sp, I've no experience of Greater Noctule to rule that out but it certainly isn't Leisler's (=Lesser Noctule).

My gut says normal Noctule, and I note the Wikipedia list of mammals for Serbia doesn't mention Greater Noctule.

I also don't mean to hijack the thread. Sorry Jan!

John

Cheers John.
 
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