 by Rob Strachan
It was not that long ago that a countryside walk
beside any non-rocky river or stream anywhere in Wales would be enlivened by the sight of a feeding or
swimming water vole - the fabulous Ratty from "The Wind in the Willows" by
Kenneth Grahame. Perhaps you would hear the characteristic "plop" as one dived
into the water to seek the sanctuary of an underwater burrow entrance. Or
maybe you would hear the rustle of vegetation on the bank and see a reed stem
start to quiver and then be felled so that the vole could reach the succulent
leaves to eat. The vole then sitting back on its haunches to chew the stem into
manageable sections, each 10cm long, the distance from its nose to the ground
as it holds its choice food in its paws.
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