Most molehills were counted in Noord-Holland during the annual Mollen Count on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 February. The Mollen Count took place last weekend for the fourth time on the initiative of the Mammal Society, Vroege Vogels, Waarneming.nl and Jaarrond Tuintelling.
It is the second year in a row that Noord-Holland is at the top of the list. No molehills have been reported on Texel. This also applies to the other Wadden Islands. “Despite the fact that moles can swim well, they don’t seem to have reached these islands (yet),” said Eveline van der Jagt, project officer at the Mammals Association.
It is no coincidence that the Mollen Count takes place at the end of February. Van der Jagt: “This is the time when males look for a female. Then they come closer to the surface, and the mole (spores) mounds are clearly visible.”
Scatter
Although it is remarkable that the most molehills have been counted in Noord-Holland for the second year in a row, Van der Jagt cannot say with certainty that this also means that the mole is actually more common there than in other provinces. “We are dependent on the voluntary contributions of people for the Mole Count. We do not know whether more different people have counted in North Holland than in other provinces, or whether there are really more molehills to be seen there.”
With the Mollen Count, the Mammals Association mainly looks at the distribution of the mole in the country. Moles have an important function in our landscape, according to Van der Jagt. For example, their dug underground tunnel systems ensure aeration of the soil and that water can drain well. In addition, moles eat the larvae and snails of harmful insects.
Influence storm Eunice
This year, more than 2100 counts have been entered with a total of more than 17,500 molehills. That is a lot less than in previous years. For example, 53,000 molehills were introduced last year. One cause could be the bad weather conditions, according to Van der Jagt. “Although there were enough molehills to see, due to the storms that raged over our country, the weather was not ideal for the counters to go out.”