One of the indicative signs of the presence of Water Voles is their latrines, and this is one in Houghton Brook, showing four small very green roly-poly droppings. I never thought I'd be following in Chris Packham's eminent footsteps, but I actually picked these up to get properly identified! This at least is proof that the voles are still there, though perhaps in lower numbers than last year. Rats, however, are competing with them for resources and as the voles have nowhere else to go, their future is uncertain. Above all, the banks where they have their burrows must be defended from heavy boots jumping across the stream and heavy vehicles driving too close and causing erosion.
The scene at the bottom of Conway Close is barely recognisable now. Since February, most of the tall trees behind the black poplar have been felled along with all the scrub and bushes in the path of the Woodside Link. Although the poplar looks bare now, life is showing in the twigs and it will grow another crown as beautiful as the last. The fencing is intended to protect it from accidental damage by works vehicles and lorries passing close beneath it and shaking the very ground it stands on. The next thing to happen should be the digging of the new stream bed to divert the brook away from the road. Close to the foot of the black poplar is a spring, and as it likes to be close to water, this spring will hopefully supply its needs in all seasons. (That turned out to be a mains water leak!) The poplar's recovery is something to look forward to next spring. And in the meantime, there is a group of younger black poplars further downstream to enjoy. (These are hybrid black poplars.) I particularly love the sound the leaves make in the wind, like the sound of soft clapping.
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