CUTTLE BROOK LOCAL NATURE RESERVE MOLES

Moles are very active around the Cuttle Brook Reserve at this time of year, most walkers will have noticed molehills being created all over the site. Young moles are evicted from their mothers’ territory during the summer and have to find their own vacant lot to claim as their home before the onset of winter makes digging more difficult. Many new molehills are created as a result. Moles are of great benefit as they feed on many insect larvae, slugs, snails and worms. Their preferred territory is in deciduous woodland but they do stray onto open land, such as along the edge of the football pitch. These molehills are a tunnelling mole’s spoil tip where soil excavated from a burrow is dumped.

Cuttle Brook Local Nature Reserve is owned by Thame Town Council and managed by Cuttle Brook Conservation Volunteers