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--Apple-Mail-18-117056977 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=WINDOWS-1252; delsp=yes; format=flowed I agree with John's and Paul's remarks here that a meadow vole or any =20= small mammal (other than a water shrew) is out of its element and in =20 very dangerous territory! When I was in central Alberta, Edmonton, =20 back in the 1960s/1970s, one Spring there was an outbreak/irruption =20 of huge numbers of meadow voles out near the University Farm & =20 Forestry Centre. In that winter the voles had reproduced under the =20 adequate blanket of snow to produce a very impressive high or peak =20 population in their short 3-5-yr. cycle of abundance. At that time =20 in the Spring, the snow melt had produced lots and lots of standing =20 water on the fields and along the fencerows and roadsides. We went =20 out at night with flashlights and the voles running about and =20 swimming everywhere was quite a sight. And along the fencerows the =20 voles were amassed into flowing and leaping hordes in stream-like =20 lines. Every once in a while a small body would leap out of the =20 "stream" of voles and fall back into it -- a house mouse among the =20 voles. What a memory! At least these very shallow melt-ponds didn't =20= have any fishes in them. But I'm sure that terrestrial predators of =20 wild and domestic types had a field day for a while that Spring, and =20 that the Summer of that year saw extremely few meadow voles. Cheers from Jim in Wolfville. Begin forwarded message: > From: John and Nhung <nhungjohn@eastlink.ca> > Date: November 4, 2012 1:18:30 PM AST > To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca > Subject: RE: [NatureNS] meadow vole swimming > Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca > > When I was a kid, I remember seeing a small toad swimming across a =20 > trout pond at the former Lake George hatchery, near Yarmouth. It =20 > didn=92t get far. > > Gave me some idea of how a human swimmer in a school of sharks =20 > would feel. > > From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-=20 > owner@chebucto.ns.ca] On Behalf Of Paul MacDonald > Sent: November-04-12 9:18 AM > To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca > Subject: Re: [NatureNS] meadow vole swimming > > And Nancy Fish think they are a lovely snack! > Paul > > > From: Nancy Dowd <nancydowd318@yahoo.ca> > To: naturens <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca> > Sent: Sunday, November 4, 2012 9:02:33 AM > Subject: [NatureNS] meadow vole swimming > > > Yesterday on Big Mush-a-Mush Lake my brother saw a Meadow Vole =20 > swimming near shore. It was larger than a House Mouse, greyish and =20 > swimming on the surface so we are guessing we have the =20 > identification correct. I have seen these along the lakeshore but =20 > did not know they could swim. > > Nancy > > --Apple-Mail-18-117056977 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=WINDOWS-1252 <html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "> I agree with John's and Paul's remarks here that a meadow vole or any = small mammal (other than a water shrew) is out of its element and in = very dangerous territory! When I was in central Alberta, Edmonton, = back in the 1960s/1970s, one Spring there was an outbreak/irruption of = huge numbers of meadow voles out near the University Farm & Forestry = Centre. In that winter the voles had reproduced under the adequate = blanket of snow to produce a very impressive high or peak population in = their short 3-5-yr. cycle of abundance. At that time in the = Spring, the snow melt had produced lots and lots of standing water on = the fields and along the fencerows and roadsides. We went out at = night with flashlights and the voles running about and swimming = everywhere was quite a sight. And along the fencerows the voles = were amassed into flowing and leaping hordes in stream-like lines. = Every once in a while a small body would leap out of the "stream" = of voles and fall back into it -- a house mouse among the voles. = What a memory! At least these very shallow melt-ponds didn't = have any fishes in them. But I'm sure that terrestrial predators = of wild and domestic types had a field day for a while that Spring, and = that the Summer of that year saw extremely few meadow = voles.<div><br></div><div>Cheers from Jim in = Wolfville.<br><div><br><div>Begin forwarded message:</div><br = class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type=3D"cite"><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" color=3D"#000000" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>From: = </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px = Helvetica">John and Nhung <<a = href=3D"mailto:nhungjohn@eastlink.ca">nhungjohn@eastlink.ca</a>></font>= </div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: = 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = color=3D"#000000" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: = #000000"><b>Date: </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">November 4, 2012 1:18:30 PM = AST</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" = size=3D"3" color=3D"#000000" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: = #000000"><b>To: </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><a = href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</a></font>= </div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: = 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = color=3D"#000000" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: = #000000"><b>Subject: </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>RE: [NatureNS] meadow vole = swimming</b></font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: = 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" = size=3D"3" color=3D"#000000" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: = #000000"><b>Reply-To: </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><a = href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</a></font>= </div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: = 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div> <span = class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"border-collapse: separate; color: = rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: = normal; font-weight