Voles and shrews in Dutch nature reserve

This is a water shrew video.

Translated from the Dutch Mammal Society:

Feb 20, 2016 – The nature reserve Onlanden in the province of Groningen changed from one moment to the next one from peaty meadows to a swamp area. This had a great influence on the small mammals living there. …

The common vole disappeared almost entirely from the Onlanden and was even hardly found in the remaining grasslands. Probably the area mainly in winter become too wet for this species. Also the field vole decreased in numbers, but seemed like it could survive in the wild, wet parts of the Onlanden. The water shrew, which used to be virtually missing in the Onlanden, strongly increased in numbers to locally very high densities, and expanded its habitat in the new situation.

The common shrew, which before the refurbishment was found in high densities in the Onlanden, was able to survive well in the marshy habitat and even increased slightly in numbers. The pygmy shrew also benefited from the waterlogging and fallowing of the area. Probably the numbers and distribution of water shrews and pygmy shrews in the Onlanden in the future will be even greater.