Last week 116 water voles bred in captivity were released to the nature reserve and more will follow next year. The release was funded and licensed by Natural England as part of its Species Recovery Programme. Find out more about the funding in this blog Species Recovery Programme Capital Grant Scheme awards – Natural England (blog.gov.uk). 

Water voles in Northamptonshire are now restricted to a few isolated colonies. The last records for the area around Nene Wetlands Nature Reserve are from around the year 2000. The Wildlife Trust has been working with partners in the county including Stanwick Lakes country park and Water Resources East to create the right conditions for water voles return. It is hoped that this project will be the start of a meta population of water voles which can then expand across Northamptonshire. 

The voles arrived on the site in cages and were released into pens which were placed alongside water courses on the reserve several metres apart. As well as the specialist conservation equipment used to ensure their safe transport and release, the team also used recycled Pringles tubes which are the perfect size and shape to move the animals. 

They stayed in the pens being fed every day for a week so they could acclimatise themselves to the habitat before the pens were opened and they were allowed to leave and make their home in the wild. 

Matt Johnson, Wildlife Trust BCN Conservation Manager, said: “It’s fantastic to see water voles return to the Nene Wetlands – we hope that this is the start of their comeback in the county. 

“When we took on this reserve over ten years ago water voles were one of the key species that we wanted to see back here so it's really exciting to see them coming out of their Pringles tubes and making their way back into the wild where they should be. 

“Reintroductions are vital if we are to restore the natural environment in the UK, but they must be planned and managed properly to ensure there is a healthy habitat for the new arrivals.” 

Water voles have suffered in the UK in recent years. Their numbers have been decimated as a result of habitat loss and the impact of invasive mink along waterways. 

The Nene Wetlands will soon be home to another, larger, rodent as beavers are released at Delta Pit close to the Rushden Lakes shopping centre. Later in the Autumn a family of beavers will be released into a fenced enclosure following months of planning and habitat management.  

Find out more about Project Beaver