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More voles from Poland! (1 Viewer)

opisska

rabid twitcher
Czech Republic
Last weekend we visited Puszcza Niepołomicka near Kraków in southern Poland and some areas, especially around the Lipówka reserve were teeming with small rodents - I have never in my life seen anything like that, but maybe I just wasn't looking? Anyhow, we managed to get good pictures of only two of those and I believe the first one is rather clear a Bank vole. But what about the second, is it, again, unidentifiable? On the not-so-clear picture the tail is clearly bicoloured, thus pointing to Field vole? Root vole seems to be slightly out of range by IUCN maps, but we know these aren't completely reliable.

EDIT: in the meanwhile, I was told that the second one is likely also a Bank vole - interesting how differently coloured they can look!
 

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Last weekend we visited Puszcza Niepołomicka near Kraków in southern Poland and some areas, especially around the Lipówka reserve were teeming with small rodents - I have never in my life seen anything like that, but maybe I just wasn't looking? Anyhow, we managed to get good pictures of only two of those and I believe the first one is rather clear a Bank vole. But what about the second, is it, again, unidentifiable? On the not-so-clear picture the tail is clearly bicoloured, thus pointing to Field vole? Root vole seems to be slightly out of range by IUCN maps, but we know these aren't completely reliable.

EDIT: in the meanwhile, I was told that the second one is likely also a Bank vole - interesting how differently coloured they can look!

All Bank Vole. Colour looks right and bicoloured tail is Bank Vole feature, not Field Vole, but structure of ears - quite prominent and smooth, where Field Vole ears are small, almost lost in main fur and also hairy themselves - rules out Field Vole.

Rodent populations cycle from low to high and then crash. When they are high the amount of visible movement can be amazing.

John
 
All Bank Vole. Colour looks right and bicoloured tail is Bank Vole feature, not Field Vole, but structure of ears - quite prominent and smooth, where Field Vole ears are small, almost lost in main fur and also hairy themselves - rules out Field Vole.

Rodent populations cycle from low to high and then crash. When they are high the amount of visible movement can be amazing.

John

Well, Field vole seems to have the "most bicolored" tail from the "meadow voles" both per Aulagnier et al. and random Google images - and I somehow boxed myself into thinking it has to be one of those (Root/Field/Common) because it just looked so gray in the comparison with the other one ... in hindsight, it's quite obvious though.
 
Bank Vole is the most common rodent in Central Europe outside the immediate vicinity of buildings, so probably 80% of encountered rodents will be Bank Voles. :)
 
Bank Vole is the most common rodent in Central Europe outside the immediate vicinity of buildings, so probably 80% of encountered rodents will be Bank Voles. :)

If its anything at all like the situation in Britain, Bank Voles are behaviourally easier to see than Field Voles anyway, which biases sightings still further.

John
 
Bank Vole is the most common rodent in Central Europe outside the immediate vicinity of buildings, so probably 80% of encountered rodents will be Bank Voles. :)

Really? I haven't even heard about this species until a few months ago! Rodents are so exotic, despite living literally everywhere around us.
 
Bank Vole is the most common rodent in Central Europe outside the immediate vicinity of buildings, so probably 80% of encountered rodents will be Bank Voles. :)
The vast majority of rodents I see - at least here in this part of Central Europe - are Red Squirrels. Apart from those though, you might be correct, Bank Voles are somehow more confiding or more conspicuous (or perhaps both) than the other murids.


Really? I haven't even heard about this species until a few months ago! Rodents are so exotic, despite living literally everywhere around us.
In years of abundance, Bank Voles can be hard to miss when you're walking through the forest. Of course, you'll need to pay attention to movements and sounds in the leaf litter. Might be worth it anyway, as it's also a good way to spot some reptiles and amphibians.
 
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