We had a wonderful houseguest Saturday night. She is a great little 8 year old named Tagan is a granddaughter to my cousin who lives in the Lockwood Valley. She was so excited to help me feed the animals Sunday morning. We fed the ewes in the morning. We had already had the cute little one with black ears and black eyeliner. I pointed out that another ewe looked very close to delivering. When we drove back up there after lunch, we had twins!
A very nice couple, Kyle and Francis, came to visit in the afternoon. They were interested in seeing the farm. Frances is a biologist from Cal Poly and was a wealth of information. He went through the pellets from the owl that is nesting in the palm tree behind the house. Owls swallow much of their prey whole, including indigestible parts like bones, hair, and feathers. Their digestive systems remove the nutrients from these materials, and then the waste is squeezed into small balls that are easily regurgitated. This is much safer and more efficient than if all the indigestible material, including sharp bones, had to pass through their intestines.
Because I was curious, I googled voles:
Voles are small rodents that grow to 3-9 inches, depending on the species. They can have 5–10 litters per year. Gestation lasts for 3 weeks and the young voles reach sexual maturity in a month. As a result of this exponential growth, vole populations can grow very large within a very short period of time. Since litters average 5–10 young, a single pregnant vole in a yard can result in a hundred or more active voles in less than a year.
Voles are commonly mistaken for other small animals. Moles, gophers, mice, rats and even shrews have similar characteristics and behavioral tendencies. Since voles will commonly use burrows with many exit holes, they can be mistaken for gophers or some kind of ground squirrel. Voles can create and will oftentimes utilize old abandoned mole tunnels thus confusing the land owner into thinking that moles are active. When voles find their way into the home, they are readily misidentified as mice or young rats. In fact, voles are unique and best described as being a little bit like all the other animals they are so commonly thought to be.
They will readily thrive on small plants. Like shrews they will eat dead animals and like mice or rats, they can live on most any nut or fruit. Additionally, voles will target plants more than most other small animals. It is here where their presence is mostly evident. Voles will readily girdle small trees and ground cover much like a porcupine. This girdling can easily kill young plants and is not healthy for trees or other shrubs.
Voles will often eat succulent root systems and will burrow under plants or ground cover they are particularly fond of and eat away until the plant is dead. Bulbs in the ground are another favorite target for voles; their excellent burrowing and tunnelling gives them access to sensitive areas without clear or early warning.
“A wise old Owl sat on an oak, The more he saw the less he spoke, The less he spoke the more he heard, Why aren't we like that wise old bird?”
― Wisdom Quote
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