Moles

Back in Kent and find that the moles have been very active in my absence. It may well be that the drier weather has left the soil in a better condition for their burrowing. The piles of soil they produce (mole hills). are there to allow air to be drawn into the tunnel for ventilation purposes. If you find an extra large mole hill in the spring or early summer, this could be where the young have been born.
I have a discovered more than one dead mole on the surface this year. I suspect that they have been killed by foxes. The fox will kill a mole but refuse to eat it. It is generally thought that this has something to do with the fur of the mole which apparently is unpleasant for the fox when it attempts to swallow the carcass.
The major enemy of the mole is man. In one nearby field, traps are regularly put out with a fair degree of success, which limits the numbers of moles in that particular field. I quite like them, and believe that they are important elements to our eco-system, particularly as they aerate the land. Some of them will shortly be making their annual migration to the woods where they seem to be better able to survive the rigours that winter brings.