Moles?

[Tiercel 6,986]

As I have said before I have never trapped a mole and have no inclination to do so. That said, moles fascinate me, maybe it is because, mole hills and surface runs apart they are largely invisible.

 

Questions pop into my mind and even though I can guess a scenario of what the answers are I am never sure. Questions like, one mole in a walled churchyard with roads all around the walls? Possible answer dropped by a fox/cat or even dropped by a crow / seagull? Why are the road verges only used in the winter? Possible answer because they are too dry during the summer?

 

But one thing I thought about tonight and I cannot even guess what the answer is, do they feed or make tunnels to the compass? Or are their runs totally random I know they follow fence lines etc; as the ground can be more moist there, but do they feed in a certain direction east west etc; clockwise anticlockwise? Just a random thought I had this evening. I blame the cider!

 

TC

Edited December 30, 2015 by tiercel

[moxy 617]

This should be interesting

[Tiercel 6,986]

This should be interesting

I would not hold your breath, I remembered you telling me how moles came to be on an island in a dual carriageway, I did not know they could travel overland. But this may be giving away a little too much.

 

TC

[Nicepix 5,650]

Good questions.

 

Moles can and do travel overland and that is how they get into walled gardens where the foundations are too deep to tunnel under. They can also swim and I have found them on small (100m x 20m) islands.

 

I'm pretty sure that they don't navigate by sat-nav, but there are both random and logical patterns to mole tunnels. For example; a field that is ploughed, harrowed and drilled will invariably have mole hills all in straight lines, some going for over 100 metres. The reason is that where the tractor has driven the soil at around a foot deep in the tracks of the wheels is firm. The upper layer will be soft and loose after harrowing, but under that will be a couple of lines of harder soil where the large wheels of the machine have run. In such a field mole tunnels resemble a map of the London Underground. I've also seen them follow sheep tracks for the same reason. And they also follow the sheep in as much as wherever the farmer regularly feeds the flock, there will be a lot of sheep muck which attracts worms and therefore moles.

 

You see. We mole trappers aren't as daft as we might look.

Edited December 30, 2015 by Nicepix

[Ratmanwan 66]

The only one I can answer is on roadsides. The surface rainwater splashes up onto the verge from traffic passing through attracting worms, same as a fence line. That's my theory anyway !

[rasp 34]

In the past I've caught and come across moles travelling over land no problem, one in particular i witnessed travelling across a large car park! As for the mole activity near roads I put it down to the camber with the water run off✌️

[comanche 3,024]

They follow the food. If its good for worms its good for moles. They travel along repair ,hunt and extend runs inherited from the generations of moles that have gone before and proved fruitful and use them according to worm abundance ,which depends upon the weather and season. The worms of course travel by the compass....

Edited December 30, 2015 by comanche

[earth-thrower 493]

Moles are good at finding & travelling along field/land drains too ?(old & new) Often explains a 'cluster' of hills appearing, in a random (or unikely spot) on the field, etc. Also, who knows what ancient travelways were present on areas of land, before it was modified by man, more recently ? Could be old 'seams' underground, or where a long ripped out tree line,dyke, hedgerow etc, once stood, but the moles still find & run there occasionally ?

Edited December 30, 2015 by earth-thrower

[moxy 617]

 

This should be interesting

 

I would not hold your breath, I remembered you telling me how moles came to be on an island in a dual carriageway, I did not know they could travel overland. But this may be giving away a little too much.

 

TC

They do get to the strangest of places. I had one on a lump of land I shoot over.

4K acre of steep fell and moorland. Locked in at the foothill by a canal and river ( flood basin inbetween). Various moorland streams cutting their way down the fell on all sides.

The old boy had never had a mole in the 65 years he owned the farm and never had one since.

My only thought is it hitched a ride?

[Tiercel 6,986]

 

 

This should be interesting

I would not hold your breath, I remembered you telling me how moles came to be on an island in a dual carriageway, I did not know they could travel overland. But this may be giving away a little too much.

 

TC

They do get to the strangest of places. I had one on a lump of land I shoot over.

4K acre of steep fell and moorland. Locked in at the foothill by a canal and river ( flood basin inbetween). Various moorland streams cutting their way down the fell on all sides.

The old boy had never had a mole in the 65 years he owned the farm and never had one since.

My only thought is it hitched a ride?

 

The most likely candidate I can think of for the mole in the churchyard is a cat, ours love to bring live rats and voles home.

 

TC

[earth-thrower 493]

 

 

This should be interesting

I would not hold your breath, I remembered you telling me how moles came to be on an island in a dual carriageway, I did not know they could travel overland. But this may be giving away a little too much.

 

TC

They do get to the strangest of places. I had one on a lump of land I shoot over.

4K acre of steep fell and moorland. Locked in at the foothill by a canal and river ( flood basin inbetween). Various moorland streams cutting their way down the fell on all sides.

The old boy had never had a mole in the 65 years he owned the farm and never had one since.

My only thought is it hitched a ride?

 

Hope you left that one, Moxy ? lol

[moxy 617]

 

 

 

This should be interesting

 

I would not hold your breath, I remembered you telling me how moles came to be on an island in a dual carriageway, I did not know they could travel overland. But this may be giving away a little too much.

 

TC

They do get to the strangest of places. I had one on a lump of land I shoot over.

4K acre of steep fell and moorland. Locked in at the foothill by a canal and river ( flood basin inbetween). Various moorland streams cutting their way down the fell on all sides.

The old boy had never had a mole in the 65 years he owned the farm and never had one since.

My only thought is it hitched a ride?

Hope you left that one, Moxy ? lol

Unfortunately not lol.

I gave it a copy of the 2005 AA road atlas I had in my motor and sent it on its way.

[Dr mole 15]

The cat scenario is possible. The first mole I ever saw was years before I started catching them or even knew anything about them. Sat watching the telly one evening and a mole ran across the living room carpet thanks to our cat. Very naively I released it into our garden. Far more likely though I would think it made its way there under its own steam. The foundations wouldn't be a problem - I can think of three customers of mine where their gardens have retaining walls up against fields/surrounding land and the moles have to dig 3 or 4 feet down to gain entry. I've had mole activity on land I'm very familiar with and know full well that they've only got there by travelling overland (no other mole activity around for quite some distance). Also had moles where they've swam rivers.

[Torquemada 288]

https://m.(!64.56:886/groups/443611572358122?view=permalink&id=895407423845199

[jackg 7]

There is a 30 minute BBC Natural World Prog on youtube narrated by St David.

Attenborough and bbc and mole should find it.