VoleCam

I had forgotten about the field vole living opposite the front door because the grass grew up in the "meadow" and the vole's network of holes and runs disappeared from view.  When I started to mow the meadow I found the holes again and they looked to be still in use.  So I put some apple cores outside to see what happened - and they disappeared. And of course I then set up a trail camera.  Often the vole is too quick for the camera and at first I put the apple too close to the hole so the camera didn't have time to react.  Putting the apple cores slightly farther away and not all in a run has allowed a few glimpses.

Field voles have short tails (～30% of body length) and are greyish brown.  Bank voles have proportionately longer tails (50%) and are a more reddish brown in colour.  Judging by their colour I am not sure these are all the same species but when I can see the tail it is short.  Watch for the last vole to appear when all the food has gone.  It is tiny and is a young field vole.

In a second sequence I think the first one probably is a bank vole because it is redder, slightly smaller with a slightly longer tail.

 The other is clearly a field vole.

Bank voles and field voles often live in similar habitats although bank voles prefer woodland edge / hedgerow places while field voles prefer long grass.  Here is sort of on the border between these two so it is no surprise to find them both.  The network of holes around the base of the oak tree is extensive so I expect there is plenty of room for them all below ground.