River Kennet, Marlborough

I was very pleased indeed to come across this wonderful water vole as I had never seen one before. Last year I'd gone on a guided boat trip around the reed beds at Arundel WWT with the expectation of seeing some, I'd almost seen one earlier in the year at Slimbridge WWT, explored the Kennet behind Marlborough College after a tip-off as to where one might be seen and even looked along the Marden in Calne following reports of a possible sighting (probably just a brown rat, although the person who'd seen it wasn't a naturalist and had thought it might be a beaver!), all without success.

I had been told that water voles had been seen on the river here, right in the centre of the town near Waitrose, and behind the picturesque Kennet Place, but had walked along the riverbank many times before, sighting nothing more than a few fish, moorhens and mallards. This time, I came across this fellow having its Friday supper on a stone in the middle of the river straight away, and it seemed unperturbed by my presence with my bright red camera and long telephoto zoom. I was lucky to see it, though, because after I'd walked to a bridge to cross the river and back on the other side to a clearing in the reeds to photograph it from the opposite bank, it had disappeared.

L.
2.7.2014 (2115 hr)

Blip #1309
Consecutive Blip #171
Day #1548

Oops! Have missed out 19th and will have to blip out of sequence later.

Lens: Pentax 55-300 mm x 1.4 converter

A Trip To Marlborough, 20 June 2014 (Flickr album)

River series
River Kennet series
Marlborough series

Backblips:
Tuesday 17 June 2014: The Old Forge (posted 2.7.2014)
Wednesday 18 June 2014: Mole Hall 2 (posted 2.7.2014)
Thursday 19 June 2014: The Old Forge (posted 4.7.2014)

Lozarhythm Of The Day:
Kelis - Friday Fish Fry (2014)