[NatureNS] re meadow vole swimming

To: NatureNS <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
References: <000601cdbab0$68ff88c0$3afe9a40$@eastlink.ca>
From: "James W. Wolford" <jimwolford@eastlink.ca>
Date: Sun, 4 Nov 2012 23:33:31 -0400
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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
>
>


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<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! &nbsp;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 &amp; Forestry =
Centre. &nbsp;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. &nbsp;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. &nbsp;We went out at =
night with flashlights and the voles running about and swimming =
everywhere was quite a sight. &nbsp;And along the fencerows the voles =
were amassed into flowing and leaping hordes in stream-like lines. =
&nbsp;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. =
&nbsp;What a memory! &nbsp;At least these very shallow melt-ponds didn't =
have any fishes in them. &nbsp;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 &lt;<a =
href=3D"mailto:nhungjohn@eastlink.ca">nhungjohn@eastlink.ca</a>&gt;</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