A nest of young voles was found yesterday afternoon on our neighbour's meadow so I volunteered to set up our camera trap overnight to see if mum returned to feed them.

On returning after dark the nest was open and exposed and I could see the tiny kits were inactive rather than wriggly as they should have been. I picked them up and they were cold so I began to warm them up. Mum returned so I popped them back into their cold and damp nest then watched as she carried them one by one to a new dry nest then disappeared from sight while hopefully feeding them IF they weren't already too cold.

There is a risk of rejection when handling such young kits but these were already chilled so there wasn't a lot to lose. It's a good sign that mum is being attentive and will hopefully stay in the nest with them for a while to warm them up. If so they should be fine.

The following morning, a deeper nest had been dug underground which I didn't disturb. Close by was a fresh pile of vole droppings so I hope that all is well with the young family.