With fat, round bodies, roughly 14 - 22cm in length, water voles often get mistaken for rats. A water vole’s tail is not long – half of the length of its body and often out of sight. A rat’s tail is long and easier to spot. Other features to note include small ears and a rounded face. Rats have pointed faces and more noticeable ears.

Shallow, stable water levels, are where water voles like to live. Look for oval burrows along the water's edge. Between April – September is a higher chance of spotting water voles, as it’s their breeding season. Nature reserves are protected spaces and good places to look for water voles.

Visit a nature reserve

Water voles don’t venture too far from their burrows. Look for piles of nibbled plant stems cut at a 45-degree angle. Water voles are most active during the day, nibbling on grasses and reeds to take back to their burrow.

Water vole droppings can be signs of marked territories. You may see piles of brown bean-shaped droppings that look like guinea pig droppings (or brown tic-tacs!). These can indicate breeding populations and usually mean a water vole isn’t far away.

Often elusive, water voles can make quite the entrance – or exit! These round, furry mammals make a distinctive ‘plop’ when they enter the water. Ripples close to the banks may be a sign of a water vole under the surface.

Record your sightings of water voles, or other river species, to build up our database of nature records and inform conservation efforts.

Nature Counts