how to see a mole? (2 Viewers)

[Larry Sweetland]

Anyone any tips on how to go about trying to see a mole in the wild in the UK? (without resorting to digging!).

I've never chanced upon a live mole, but missed one by a few seconds that my girlfriend saw before it disappeared from view.

 

[Adam W]

I was lucky enough to see 2 fighting above ground once but i think you'll be struggling to set out and plan to try and see them.

 

[Hotspur]

find an area with lots of molehills and find the freshest ones. See if you can see any activity and then sit and wait. Having said that my only sighting aside from moving molehills has been one that popped up and then disappeared at Potteric Carr as I was walking along a footpath.

 

[Keith Dickinson]

I've seen 1 mole totally above ground and that was over 20 years ago in an area that I used to visit nearly everyday. I first heard the snuffling of the animal before locating it in vegetation. I was present when James saw the mole at Potteric but all I can lay claim to is seeing movement at the molehill, just moments too late in looking.
Just a thought but would you get moles above ground at Parkgate on the really high tides?

 

[Johnny1]

Moles will come above ground in very heavy rain, when their burrows start flooding they'll come above ground to escape the water. The year before last one was shuffling around above ground at Marshside but you can wait years before seeing one above ground.

 

[sglynas]

I have only ever seen 2 Live ones, one that My Jack Russel killed very shortly after though I am sorry to say, the other one popped out in front of me while I was fielding in a cricket match. I think says more about my movement in the match than skill in tracing moles though.

every spring I find many dead ones though, always in the middle of the path or lane.

As most people say, more luck than good management,
considering the amount of Mole hills about though you would have thought it would be easy.

 

[Geoff Brown]

Sitting in a deck chair many years ago on my lawn a mole suddenly surfaced under my feet and shuffled across the lawn surface. I made a slight noise and he/she tunneled back below ground in a flash.

 

[jurek]

Maybe get yourself a live trap and put it into fresh tunnell? I'm sure mammal people must catch moles somehow.

 

[chris butterworth]

Just a thought but would you get moles above ground at Parkgate on the really high tides?

They are regularly seen at Parkgate, usually on the first of the high tides. If there are any saltmarshes that get flooded at really high tides, around the Bristol area, it might be a good idea to nip down and check them out Larry. Otherwise, it is just down to serendipity.

Chris

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Thanks for the tips guys, I'll have a closer look around Severnside area to see if there are any mole hills close to the salt marsh.

 

[phil baber]

My first Mole I found under a slab of stone that I lifted looking for reptiles. The Mole's tunnel went right under where the stone was lying. As I lifted it I surprised the Mole and it shot off into the hidden part of its tunnel. Crikey! Can they move fast when they want to!
It might be an idea to replicate the above by exacavating carefully a section of Mole tunnel ie removing the roof.Then placing a slab over it to serve as a roof. You can then return to visit on a regular basis, and lift the slab. A bit like "Mole Roulette..."
Perhaps baiting with earthworms in the tunnel section will assist also...
Unethical and skullduggerous. But, if you're desperate for some Mole Action this might be a potential success...