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Badger

Badgers leave a small depression in the ground while searching for plant bulbs. Another tell-tale sign that a badger has been feeding is that parts of the bulb may be found on the woodland floor.

This picture shows a vole's nest which has been destroyed by a predator. This could be the work of a fox or a badger, as both prey on young voles while they are still in the nest.

Fox

Foxes feed on a variety of prey. If you find a pile of feathers from a bird such as a crow, pigeon or duck, the way to tell if a fox is the culprit (rather than a bird of prey) is to look for the chewed ends of the feather shafts.

If a sparrowhawk had killed the bird you would see a ring of feathers neatly plucked with no damage to the end of the feather shafts.

Vole

These pictures show animal food stores. They belong to two different species of vole. On the left you can see a water vole's food store, while the grass shoots on the right belong to a short-tailed vole. Both species are herbivores and store food in various places around their territories.

Finding a food store close to water is one way of confirming the presence of the rare water vole. The smaller short-tailed vole cuts off short lengths of grass and stores them in neat piles in long or rough grassland areas.