Vole at the hole - Danny Green - Wildlife Photographer of the Year2007

2007: Urban Wildlife - Winner

Danny Green Enlarge image Vole at the hole

Danny Green (United Kingdom)

Vole at the hole

'For the past two years, I've been photographing water voles on a disused canal in Derbyshire, UK. This one can flood easily, so if heavy rain is predicted, they open the sluice gates to drop the water level. If the rain doesn't come, the drainage pipes are exposed, and I've tried many times to get an image like this.' The water vole has suffered a drastic decline in numbers in the UK over the past 25 years. Habitat loss has been a major factor, but pollution and the introduction of the American mink have played their part. Urban canals and ponds are among the water vole's last strongholds. They eat mostly the green parts of plants.

Canon EOS 1D Mark II + 500mm f4 lens; 1/100 at f5.6; ISO 400; tripod.

This photograph is available to buy as a print.