You know, every time I mention voles, I get blank looks

Vole surge in Kielder Forest boosts owl population

The tawny owl population in a Northumberland beauty spot is booming as a result of the harsh winter, experts say.

The Forestry Commission say their growth at Kielder Forest is due to an increase in the number of voles, which the birds of prey feed on.

The large amount of snow which fell over the winter allowed voles to hide from prey and breed successfully.

Not that they come up much in conversation. I have a friend whose dog can take down a vole in about 5 seconds flat; that's how it usually comes up. I admit that until a few years ago, I was also uninitiated when it came to voles. So, just to clarify, this is a vole:

(PHOTO: CC 3.0 Fashionslide from Wikimedia Commons)
Not to be confused with a mole:

(PHOTO: CC 2.5 David Hill from Wikimedia Commons)

By the way, there's a great picture of little owl babies at the article link. :)

Also, a pet peeve, do you know I've had to explain to two separate people that birds actually have sex? And these are people older than I who presumably had science in school.