Water vole (Arvicola amphibius) populations have
undergone a serious decline throughout the UK, and yet
a stronghold of these small mammals is found in the
greater Easterhouse area of Glasgow. The water voles in
this location are mostly fossorial, living a largely
subterranean existence in grasslands, rather than the
more typical semi-aquatic lifestyle in riparian habitats.
In this study, we carried out capture-mark-recapture
surveys on water voles at two sites: Cranhill Park and
Tillycairn Drive. We made a total of 62 captures
including retraps, and the resulting population estimates
were 78 individuals (95% confidence interval 41-197)
for Cranhill Park and 42 individuals (20-141) for
Tillycairn Drive. From these figures we estimated a
population density of water voles, which appeared to be
higher than other reports from the UK. Despite the
difficulties of sampling in urban environments that
resulted in relatively low capture rates, our data suggest
that the greater Easterhouse area of Glasgow holds water
voles at relatively high population densities. These
results will inform future conservation in the City of
Glasgow and surrounding areas, as well as raise
awareness of important water vole populations in urban
environments.
