Rare Wildlife In North Yorkshire

As I have spoken about in previous posts, I have been using my cameras to try and find and confirm sightings of a mammal that is so rare that officially it s recorded as absent. On a previous occasion in some private woods I did see tracks that could have been made by this animal but were to degraded to be clear and there were other animals that could have made them.

On that occasion the main target species was not observed. Part of the difficulty being the habits of the animal are different and setting up a (Camera) trap for one species could miss the other. Also at the time I did not have Infra Red equipment so I was limited to what I could do.

Therefore it was tantalising to obtain information of another sighting via an independent source in an area close to the first location. Upon investigation it was far better habitat to find the animal so I have been camping out in the hope of filming this creature. Not the wryest of occupations nor the most comfortable but I kept vigil.

I baited the area with foods that would attract the animal and set up one camera so that it could take a series of still every few seconds in a spot that was the most likely path the animal would take. While I settled down to wait and film the animal if it came.

I have a real admiration for the professionals, but I don't have the luxury of assistants to aid me and I also have to go out at times to change batteries, tapes and memory cards. So I was aware that I could stop myself from seeing my quarry at those times I would have to move. Therefore while having two cameras located would increase my chances, was it that I was decreasing them by moving about.

Well on one night I left the stills camera alone, but when I went to collect it it had been overturned by possibly a badger, but the jam sandwiches left as bait had gone. A check of the images showed that the camera had recorded many images of the ground and some of the bait before the tripod had been up ended but none of the animal.

This continued in much the same vain until I finally saw my first Pine Martin. I was just changing tapes when it appeared and with the best will in the world I could not get the new tape in quickly in the dark. In fact I was trying to put it in the wrong way round.

I am not the only people trying to get the Martins on film as I learned that the BBC are lucking out in the same area as are the naturalists who are trying to garner photographic evidence to prove they have extended their range. So while officially the Pine Martin is not in North Yorkshire, but we know different.

Filming Wildlife at Night

As I have posted about some rather serious issues in the past few days I thought I would let you know some good news. As I mentioned previously, a couple of weeks ago I ordered and paid for an Infra Red lighting system, well it arrived today. I had been having kittens (worrying about it) as I had received a letter from the Royal Mail informing me that a parcel that either I was sending or receiving was damaged in some way. Thus I needed to identify what could have been in the parcel. As there was only one thing that I had sent, I told them what that item was, and they agreed that an item similar was among the items they were trying to repatriate to the owners. But as I also have a couple of books due, I will soon have more books than the local library, I was worried about what had been damaged. Anyway, within minutes of the IR lighting arriving I get a call from the person dealing with the damaged parcel and it turns out that the item is in fact fine.

What had happened was that something, probably a printer cartridge had broken or leaked. This had meant that to save the content of a number of packages they had been opened. However, that had lead to the content becoming miss matched to the labels. It turns out it was the item I was posting out. There will be someone thinking that I have not sent it. Well as soon as I get it back I will resend it.

So it looks as though I need not have worried, oh the fun of relying on others. It is good to get the IR lights and I hope that I will soon be putting them to good use. I can not do so yet as the camera has yet to arrive.

While there are many video cameras that can film in infra red, the real difficulty is the light, or lack of it. Most are not suitable for filming wildlife, as the range of the light is far to shallow. Thus, by following the good advice I was given, I searched for the lights first, they are pre owned, then sought a camera that can operate with the lights. Again by going for something pre cared for, I get greater optical quality than I would be able to afford by buying new.

It will be interesting to use this equipment as I wonder what I have been missing that has passed close to me that I have not been aware of and if my attempts to identify wildlife by sound and dark shape has been accurate. For all I know it could be that some of what I have been seeing are the fairies wandering around with cardboard cut outs of animals.

However the real test will now be if I can actually film any of the wildlife. Knowing my luck they will all go on strike and demand union rates. At least I think the badgers will work for Peanuts.

Relocating Mammals

For the past several weeks I have been watching for the Dragonfly Nymphs that have been living in one of the many ponds and pools locally. My wish was that when they emerge I would be able to film them as they emerge from the chrysalis stage as adult dragonflies. All was set for this to happen, the emerged as nymphs an while I missed that stage I have visited everyday so that when it happened I could film them. However on Wednesday I had to go with some other people to visit another rich wildlife site to offer some aid and advice. So I was not able to go to the pool on Wednesday or on Thursday as I was away. On Friday, my investigations just showed the empty chrysalis case, the ghost skin of the dragonflies. They had emerged while I was away. So unless I can find more this year it will be next year before I can get that film.

However the trip away was more than worthwhile. The Ministry of Defence here in Britain has several sites where for safety reasons the public are not normally allowed. This means that the natural history on these sites flourishes free from disturbance by most human activity. Further, the military people who manage this land are very sensitive to the needs of the wildlife most of the time too.

Therefore, being allowed to carry out a limited survey in one of these areas is a privilege.

However, the main work that needed to be done was catching rabbits. For reasons that will become obvious, the army, following advice, had built what was effectively an artificial burrow sites for the rabbits and our job was to live catch the rabbits so they could be moved to this site. It was all done by a very traditional method of using purse nets and feeding a ferret down the burrow system, the rabbits exit the burrow and into the purse nets. Our role was much more that of wildlife specialists with the job of finding all the entrances. Or exits as they become, as if you fail to net even one hole that's where the rabbits will emerge.

It took the two days, but we must have caught ninety percent of the rabbits and moved them to their new home. They now have three acres of fenced in land to happily live and breed on. Now the reason for this is simply that there is a bird of prey that has been nesting near the site. The problem was that during exercise it was flying in to take the rabbits and endangering its life. So a novel solution was devised to create an alternative nest site, this it used this year and the pair raised two chicks. But they persisted in hunting within this danger zone. So to protect this rare bird decision was taken to move the food to a safer place. This had worked reasonably well with work done in the past and this work I was involved in was the finish of that.

The work was one of the most unusual things I have done, but it gave me a chance to see a bird I have never seen before, a Golden Eagle.

Had I been allowed to take or use a camera on the site, I could have had some wonderful film, but while that was not possible, I at least will have the memory of seeing this magnificent bird.

No Luck and Good Luck

It has been hard to believe that we have just had the Summer solstice. Not just from the weather, but as hard as I look, I cant find where the year has gone. There was so much that I wanted to do, related to the seasons, but I have not had the time. I always knew that I would not be able to do all on my wish list, therefore I have been concentrating upon what I can do. That includes my observations of the Badgers.

As it was the solstice I thought I would have the best chance of filming the badgers. So I went out on Saturday night Sunday morning to watch them. While I still don't have access to the main sett I have been watching, there are others I can observe. While the wet weather does make it uncomfortable, the rain can help deaden noise and can make it easier to remain undetected. However, this night I saw absolutely nothing. Normally, I would see something, be it a mouse or vole, the odd rabbit but not a creature stirred. It is probably just that they had better sense than to venture out.

Not deterred, most would say foolishly, I did the same last night. This time I did at least get to see, very briefly, six of the Badgers as they moved towards a known feeding ground. While I did think of moving to that area, I decided to stay as it was likely that they would return that way. But they did not.

So I returned home feeling tired but philosophical. I had to go in to Consett for some shopping and to the bank so I could not retire to bed. Therefore, I was able to snatch some film of one of the Red kites as it glided over my home as I went to bring in the milk. I kept the camera with me when I went to catch the bus. So often when I have been at the stop, I have seen the kites from there. So I thought I would take it more in hope than expectation.

There was no sign of the kite but there was a female blackbird, busy pulling worms from the ground. While a little shaky I filmed her. Then while standing there I was busy watching a small white butterfly that came to rest on the grass. I was just powering up the camera when a swift came down and snatched it from the air. So quick was it that I was not sure what I had seen, but as I could see the swift departing with the white wings visible in the beak, I was left in awe of the swifts agility.

While I tried to get round my chores efficiently, I was confronted by a queue in the butchers. That meant that I would have to wait an hour for the next bus. As I came out of the shop, I bumped into a couple from the village who I had not seen for a while. So we had a little chin wag. Then I decided that as I had to wait I would go for a cup of tea.

One of the things that is rather surprising is that in Consett there are some quite good Cafés. Not sophisticated dining, but much better than the greasy spoon one could expect. I have been slowly discovering these, and went to one that I have not been to before. As my accent is not a north east one, frequently this will cause me to stand out. Therefore, sitting at my table I heard one of the two children, in a stage whisper, make a comment. The mother apologised and we fell into conversation. It was just general chit chat, then the youngest child spotted my red kite badge. I have an enamelled badge that the RSPB issues to help raise money, and the mother said that her daughter was nuts about the red kites. So getting out my camera I showed them the film I had just shot of the Kite. It also ran onto the film of the Blackbird.

Well, without relating the whole of the conversation, it turns out that she works for the local education authority and asked if I would be willing to give some talks to schools about wildlife and natural history. Well I could have been knocked over with a feather. I cautiously said I would, but I would need to know how doing something like this could be educationally significant and add to help the children learn. It was her turn to be ready to be knocked over with a feather, as she realised I was on the same wave length as her and I could be what she has been looking for for ages.

It was left with us exchanging phone numbers and email addresses, and that we needed to arrange a meeting to discuss what is needed. Anyway I get home to a ringing telephone, its the husband of my driver from a previous posting. (its not my fault if your not keeping up) She had just delivered a baby girl. They had thought from the scan that it was a boy, so they now have to start thinking of a girls name. They had been thinking of giving this child the same name as I have, but as I told them calling any child “Mouse” was not fair.

However, the main reason for the phone call was that they wanted further help with some small mammal trapping. But this will not be locally but two hundred miles away. While I am interested I cant do everything and I have left it open.

I just wonder if in six months time I will still be wondering where all the time fled?

Beavers in England

Recently I posted an essay on the reintroduction of Beavers into Scotland. While trying to access the data learnt about the impacts upon the environment of this, I learnt that in England for the last two and half years there have been Beavers living here. While they have been fenced in, the sixteen European Beavers from Bavaria, so like our Royal family they are German, have been living happily and without damaging the environment. In fact the improvements the Beavers made to the habitat has provided homes and habitat for thirty other endangered species. This was all unexpected.

Any reintroduction programme always faces opposition from some groups, therefore this test site was used so that we could learn what the impact would be upon the environment and more importantly the biodiversity. Thus on a five hundred and fifty acre fenced in site, the beavers were released.

As beavers will do they adjusted the landscape to provide themselves with the pools and lodges they need to live. The first aspect of their natural behaviour that was noted was by cutting down the trees around the pools on the site, it regenerated the vegetation. Wild flower seeds in the seed bank spontaneously germinated. Some were plants that were thought lost to the site, and this had the additional effect of enabling invertebrates to come in and the population of water voles, a species in serious decline in the UK, started to increase. There were also unexpected benefits for fish as the Beaver lagoons created habitat that allowed fish to breed.

The aspect that really surprised everyone involved was that during flood events, the way that these mammals had managed the watercourse greatly slowed the flow of water helping to lessen the effects of the flooding.

While I dare say there will be people that are still not convinced by the wisdom of reintroducing these animals, all I have seen thus far is a genuine win win situation. I am hoping that I will be able to take up the invitation to go and visit the site myself and get my own view of an English Beaver.

Beavers return to Britain

As my regular readers (two cats and a human) will know, back in Autumn I spoke of a project that planed to reintroduce the European Beaver back into the UK. The greatest difficulty with any project like this is in fact education as people develop prejudice against some species.

With the beaver the prejudice centred upon the damage they would do to fish and to woodlands. As Beavers are vegetarian and eat tree bark they would not damage fish at all. In fact the calm pools the create for their lodges actually benefit most species of fish as they create habitats that enable the fish to breed more successfully.

The other prejudice was, is and will be more difficult to counter, as beavers do fell trees.

However, in the control areas where captive populations have been introduced, the activities of the Beavers has actually mirrored much of the tree felling work that has to be done to preserve riverside habitats anyway. As we live on a crowded island, the competition for space has meant that many of the natural processes have been interrupted. Further because of the loss of species, or exclusion of animals, humans have had to resort to carrying out maintenance work to retain the ecology that was there in the first place.

Therefore, by reintroducing Beavers, the trees that would overwhelm river banks get felled naturally. This will save the conservation organisations, farmers and land owners millions over the coming years as work normally undertaken by volunteers, contractors or workers will occur naturally.

A further benefit that was not expected was the discovery that the root systems of the trees felled by the Beavers worked much better as erosion protection. Because the Beavers are felling the trees younger, that would happen for conservation reasons, the micro root systems of the trees retained the soils of the river bank better. Additionally, the made the rivers less prone to adding to the damage caused by flooding. Partly because these root systems acted as a better sponge, but mainly because of the slower flow rates of the Beavers created habitat meant that in a flood swollen river, the water drained away better down the river channel and was less likely to over spill.

So while some people may still object to this reintroduction, the benefits will be imminence. As the species is being introduced into a landscape that has done without Beavers for several centuries, legal permission was required from the Government. This has now been given by the Scottish Parliament, and the reintroduction programme will occur in Scotland.

All the effort in the study of the possible effects of the Beavers on the environment was important as it was possible that the effect would have been like an invasive species that would have seriously impacted existing species and habitats. However, by ensuring that we knew what the likely impacts were and most of them are beneficial, we can all look forward to a time when Beavers will become a part of the British landscape again.

My thanks to Natural England for the picture by Paul Glendell

And here's a link to the Scottish Wildlife Trust and more information about the reintroduction project.

Water Voles, Bank Voles and Springwatch

Wednesday morning saw me heading out in the rain, towards the Derwent River with the aim of filming Water Voles. As Folks may not realise this star of the Wind in the Willows, (Ratty should have been called Volley) is the fastest declining mammal in Britain. However we still have a relatively healthy local population. This is mainly due to the fact that we do not have a problem with Mink.

However, before waxing lyrical about the water vole, I have to admit that I should have postponed my attempt when I saw the weather forecast. As any one with more than one brain cell working, I seem to have had only one working this morning, Heavy Rain and electrically operated cameras don't mix. While I do use covers and rain shields, I was risking getting my equipment water logged. Just as I got water logged. When I got back home I even had to wring out my boxers.

I was in the right location though as I could see the voles were active in the place I had hoped to see them. It is one of the real benefits of the loss of the heavy industry that blighted this region that the rivers are now clean enough to support a healthy biodiversity in the rivers. There was a time, only thirty odd years ago when the river was so polluted that even common weeds were killed off by the waters from this chemical cocktail of a river.

When I got back and dried off by having a bath, there is twisted logic there somewhere. I sat down to write up my notes. As I did this I watched with interest a Blue Tit that was going around the plants in my yard picking off any insects. Then he or she, started collecting flies from the spiders webs in there too. Quite remarkable behaviour and something I had not seen before.

Today, Thursday saw me dealing with other Voles. As some types of conservation work requires trapping of small mammals, under licence, I have been seeking to get the training needed. As I am financing this myself. The costs are coming out of my pocket rather than being funded by a Charity, Conservation body, or government department, one of the people providing me with the training and experience has been providing me with a lift. This morning that meant a very early start of three thirty. Therefore I was rather somnambulant this morning. It meant that while I picked up my packed lunch, I forgot my cameras.

Learning to handle any small mammal can be a painful experience, but so far I have escaped being bitten. Although everyone else has suffered bites. My mentor thinks that it could be that I have some sort of affinity... Rubbish, I am just careful as I know it would hurt.

While others suffered the indignity of getting nipped in the name of conservation, I while laying on the ground removing one of the humane live traps, suffered by having a smelly muddy dog run on to my back and grab my ponytail. For nearly a minute it refused to let go or allowed me to try to rise. When one of the other students freed me from the clutches of her mutt, I rose with my pride feeling very bruised. I felt like giving the dog an Anti-Social Behaviour Order. I did however keep the trap intact and the vole safe.

When the Vole was released, its released into a bag, I thought it was a field Vole. However, as I am not an expert, I was surprised to discover that it was a Bank Vole. This lesson made me realise that I had previously seen them in my local woods and misascribed my observations. If only school had been this interesting.

Anyway, even though I have bathed I can still smell that damn dog on me.

To go off on a tangent, my regular reader will know that I have been enthusing about the springwatch that the BBC have been doing this year. In previous years, there have been parts that were less good, this year I can not fault the programme. In part this is because the whole team have grown in confidence and have pulled out all the stops to garner some remarkable images. For example the wildlife film maker Simon King, one of the co presenters, shot some ultra slow motion video of an Osprey catching a fish. Remarkable and graceful. However, what for me will be the highlight was the footage they shot of the Scottish Wild Cat. This is an animal so rare and elusive that it was a delight to see. Having spent three weeks of my life trying to see one myself and not doing so, I know just how difficult that was. And this has only been the first week of three.

Anyway, while talking of elusive creatures, the film here is of a Jay. While not rare, and can be seen occasionally, I was chuffed to bits when I got this bit of film.

Badger Cubs

We have Badger Cubs!

I tried to think of some way of adding some tension or trying to write something so that you, dear reader, didn't share my discovery until the end of this posting, but I am just to excited by this. For at least the past month, I have suspected they were there in two of the Setts that I am observing, but without direct sightings I could not be sure.

Because of an urgent request from one of the potential publishers of the book on the Badgers that these observations will be going into. I had to ensure my observations were up to date. Therefore, I went round to the setts and tried to ascertain what was actually happening rather than speculate. One of the advantages of living in the north is the longer daylight period. This enabled me to more rapidly travel on foot between the different Setts. Even so it is still a two hour walk to get round all of them and I still need time to see what's happening. It is not just a matter of there's a badger and another, but via watching work out what is really happening in their lives.

While at one of the setts I saw two cubs above ground with their mother well away from the Sett. They were busy grubbing for worms and engaging in the rough and tumble of badger play. I even became involved, involuntarily, as one of the cubs discovered pulling my boot lace was a great game.

However the sow decided she didn't like her cubs being near a human and she charged me. As I was travelling light, no camera or heavy equipment just a digital Dictaphone to make notes on, I was able make a swift exit. Once I was several meters away, everything was fine and they all went back to feeding and playing. I quietly departed from that Sett and headed for the largest sett.

The dynamics of this one has become fascinating as the old Brock was killed by traffic in February, and there are now three males competing for the top job. However, the realignment of the social dynamic has caused two of the pregnant sows to move away to an as yet unknown satellite sett.

I could hear that the badgers were active as I approached, and I wished that I had some night vision equipment, as it was difficult to work out what was actually going on. While there was feeding activity going on, and some rough and tumble, I was confused by the number of animals that were there.

I allowed my eyes extra time to adjust to the light, and settled down to see if I could discover the story of the behaviour pattern. It looks as if one of the younger males, he is about four or five years old, has become the lead Brock. Once I was more sure of the dynamics of the situation I moved in closer and settled down at the base of a tree. Whenever out watching the badgers, it is never just the badgers that I will encounter, and a vole was scampering about just feet away from where I was sitting and I could hear owls were out hunting. This held my attention, was I going to see the owl hunting? I was close enough to the mouse or vole and if I could see it, I knew that an owl would spot it too. As I sat there, my attention was split between watching the badgers and the rodent. After, about fifteen minutes, I felt something fall on my shoulder and to the forest floor. Looking up I saw a Tawny Owl ten feet directly over me, I guessed that it had been a pellet that had been dropped but I could not find it in the leaf litter. I could have used a torch, but that would have disturbed the Badgers. As I watched the Owl it flew silently off into the dark.

My attention back on the Badgers, I tried to work out who was whom. One of the females I saw was one that had departed when the old Brock was killed. I could see two cubs but they were with another sow. Looking carefully, I realised that there were other cubs there too. After a time, I was able to see with certainty that there were six cubs there, four seemed to be with the wanderer. I think there were also others there but without direct observation of them I can not be sure.

While I wanted to post immediately about this, I also needed to get my manuscript updated as I had a meeting to attend.

Even though I was tired I my draft notes written and effectively wrote another chapter in one. As the publisher wanted both a hard copy and a digital version, I had to print it out. Armed with this I went to Newcastle for the meeting.

For reasons that will become obvious, we always meet in a café. I was there first, and I waited with a coffee. As winter is over, I have shaved off my beard. In the winter this stops me from loosing to much body heat in the cold. So I was rather amused when she walked right past me and sat down at the back of the room. I went over and said that it would be easier to talk if we sat at the same table.

She asked me to sit with her, it was clear that she was upset. Well without going into detail, she has become a victim of the credit crunch. Her business was reliant upon borrowing made upon her house and while she had been hoping that the banks would be kind to her, that morning she had discovered the banks just wanted their money back. So via this publisher at least the Badger book will not be published. I even had to pay for her coffee and lunch as she didn't have the money to pay for that. In fact even when I had been meeting her in her offices previously, they (the Office) had been borrowed and she was really trying to create the illusion of a successful business.

While I was sympathetic, I didn't give her the manuscript as she wanted. She said that she was sure she could sell it and that it would help save her business. I already have another publisher that is interested and I could not completely trust her to provide a deal that was right for me. After all, if she was trying to use my work to save her business it was likely that I would be sold short.

I will still complete the book and my observations, so I see this as a set back not a disaster.
This meeting had been inconvenient as I had other things I needed to do. Also, staying up all night and extending that into the day left me feeling very tired. Its no wonder that my neighbours think that I must be some creature of the night. If I am not careful I will be getting an invite from Bram Stocker.

No matter what disappointments though, it doesn't detract from the delight of seeing the Badger Cubs.

Dippers on the River

On Tuesday when I saw the weather forecast, I knew I wanted to be up and out early the following day. By early, I am talking about before sunrise. As the night sky was going to be clear, following a warm spring day, a mist was going to form. While this would be quickly burnt off by the sun, it was likely to make the wood and the river a magical place, and visually interesting. Further, it is the way that this mist deadens sound and reduces visibility that I most wanted to use.

I have been observing the Dippers down by the river. Like so many species, they are creatures of habit especially during the breading season. Therefore I wanted to use the vale of mist to enable me to get close and set up the camera to film the dippers. By setting up the camera so it overlooked a known point that the Dippers use, I stood a good chance of getting some good footage.

The walk though the wood to the river was an aural delight, and I dare say I could have stopped and filmed any number of birds as I headed towards the Dippers Territory. When I got to the point on the river where I know a pair have established a territory, I was greeted by the sight of one of them already sitting on a rock in the river. I set up and started filming straight away, expecting the bird to flee as I was not that well hidden, but I got a long sequence before this male noticed me.

I was pleased to have something so quickly, but I still intended to follow my plan. I set up the camera, and I moved off and watched. I could switch on the camera remotely so I pressed my form against a tree reducing my chances of being observed.

I did not have to wait to long before the Dipper alighted on the perch I was observing. I started the camera rolling, and as I did I realised that just behind me a group of Roe Deer had come down to the river to drink. I dared not move. While I had another camera with me, it was in my bag that was sitting at the base of the tree on the other side of me. So I just stood and watched. All three females were in pristine condition, having just shed their grey winter coats and were resplendent in their red summer coats. However I was also trying to keep an eye on the Dipper, and I saw the other half of the pair arrive, the female I think.

I wanted to adjust the zoom, but if I moved I knew the Deer would scamper. So I missed getting the pair together. I waited patiently as the Deer drank and as they started to move off one appeared to catch my scent and they bounded off. If I can get similar conditions and the right place to set up, I hope that I will be able to film them drinking. I may need to work by setting up on the other bank, but this requires a little more thought. Further, as I have not previously seen any signs of the Deer being there, I will need to ensure that this is a regular location for them.

In the time that I had allowed the Deer to move on I had lost track of the Dippers. Searching yielded no further sightings, and while the mist had aided me initially, it now hampered my relocating them. So I decided that it would be better to try again another day.

With the film I wanted, I had a pleasant walk back through the forest. Its been a while since I went via this particular route and its a delight to see the trees bursting their buds and spring flowers in bloom. The delightful thing about experiencing any morning like this is not the film or pictures, but the memories created.

Otter

Otters are like buses, you wait for ages then two turn up!

(Well the same one)

The Luck of the Wildlife Watcher

I am sure that most people who have watched wildlife documentaries on television, or turn the pages of a magazine or book, have wondered at the dedication of the wildlife photographers and film-makers that produced these programmes or images. I know that I certainly did. Even as a child, I would dream of being out on the Serengeti taking pictures of Lions or Elephants in fact all manner of wildlife.

However I have to content myself with the wildlife in my local area, while I can dream of living in the African Savannah or Alaska, the reality is that I live in the north-east of England. While that means I do not see rhinoceros or wildebeest wandering along the the top of my road, not unless I have been partaking in to many bottles of Loopy juice. I do though have some wonderful wildlife around me. Most of this wildlife is, of course much smaller than the mega fauna found him much of the world.

No matter where I was in the world though, much of the craft of any Wildlife photographer or film-maker is essentially the same. The act of sitting around, often uncomfortably, and waiting to see if the wildlife turns up.

While I could have littered this journal with entries that recorded many hours of waiting around for wildlife and never shows, that would be quite boring for for anyone foolish enough to want to read this. In previous postings, I have tried to demonstrate that often my attempts to watch wildlife can be just as fruitless as everybody else's. Additionally, as I wanted to use this on line journal as a way of encouraging other people to go out and search for and watch wildlife, I thought that by sharing my successes were being far more interesting than constantly posting entries where I saw very little.

I had been realistic in my postings though, to give you a flavour of the trials and tribulations of sitting around, or standing around, even laying about trying to get even a small glimpse of a target species. This winter has been no exception, and part of any wildlife watchers role, is to get rained on the, snowed on, do impressions of icicles, even of a snowman.

In my pursuit of one particular animal though, I feel I have gone above and beyond the call of duty. I have, for want of a better phrase, contracted Trench Bottom from sitting around on cold wet ground in my pursuit of the rather elusive for otter.

As during the the spring and summer the otters tend to fade into a background as you must become more active in the countryside. I was not expecting to have any encounters until later in the year. However with the migration well under way now I headed off to a location where I stood a good chance of seeing some of the returning water fowl and waders. While a little off the beaten track, and requiring effort on my part to get there, this location has the benefit of a purpose-built Hide. As well as making the wildlife watching more comfortable, it also enables me to get closer, than would be the case if I were just wandering around in the countryside.

No matter how dedicated any wildlife watcher is, the one thing you cannot plan for is sheer luck.

Today I was lucky the picture says more than any words could say.

Bats in my Belfry Noctule Bat

This evening I had reason to go visit the village shop. It was getting close to fall darkness as I walked up the road, I stopped to cross at the junction when something flew in front of me. I kept watching it, trying to identify what bird it was, when I realised that it was a Bat. Not just any Bat but a Noctule Bat, the largest of the British species. I stopped and watched it as it flew back and forth, I think it was chasing and catching moths that were attracted by a street light, but I could not be sure. However I am sure of the identification as it was flying past me only five or six feet away, and it had a wingspan of over a foot, and when I checked in my books, there was no doubt. Well thats the first bat of the year.

Looking for Otters and Oystercatcher film

Today has been a cold and uncomfortable day for me. While out shopping last week, I got into conversation with a chap who told me that near his home, every morning, he saw the Otters that live on the river, more specifically a female and pup. So I took him up on the offer of him showing me the location.

As promised, the potential viewing point would be perfect, and the signs looked as though the Otters were indeed using the spot very regularly. Therefore I set up the camera and started what turned out to be a long wait. My position, laying on my belly meant that I presented no silhouette and with the wind more or less in my face, I was expectant.

As expected the ground was damp and as showers are a feature of April, I soon became saturated. I waited, but not a sign of the Otters did I see. Once it was two hours past the latest time that the Otters had ever been seen, I decided to withdraw. As I emerged from my vantage point, I realised that my guide had been standing there most of the time and in full view of any wildlife. He told me that he couldn't understand it as the otters had been there every day, until the weekend. It was then that he reviled that he had taken a large party down to the river, and while they had seen them briefly they had not stayed.

I explained that it was likely that he and his friends had probably frightened them off. While disappointing, at least I know where the otters have been recently and I may see them at a latter time.

Well, while that was disappointing I did get something done today. I opened an account on U Tube and I posted one of my videos on there. But so as my loyal reader here doesn't miss out here it is for your delectation.

Getting a Mud Bath

Following my rather spontaneous trip out yesterday, I considered cancelling my planed trip out to watch one of the trails. There is a location in my local area where I regularly see wildlife tracks, however it is also crossed with regular human traffic.

Therefore, I needed to ascertain when the human traffic stopped and when the animal traffic started. That required me to venture out in the night yet again. Because my plans were adjusted during the day, after getting back and feeding and watering myself, I was tempted to stay in the warm. But, I also knew that because the weather was less than clement, there was less risk of getting disturbed by people.

Now while I don't have a problem with others sharing the countryside, the number of times that the presence of other people does impact the behaviour of the wildlife. Also, as I want to at a latter date set up a camera trap, I needed to discover a time block when I can leave the equipment set up without the risk of this expensive piece of kit disappearing.

Now dear reader, you understand why I was wandering about in the dark, in the forest, in the cold, you also need to understand that with the recent rain and snow, the ground was very muddy and slippery under foot.

In the summer, no matter how much repellent I use I become the picnic for a variety of insects, but as it is early spring I was not expecting to suffer that problem. I do love being in the woods after dark. While it is cold and damp, sitting or standing comfortably often you can hear much of what is happening in the Forest.

In the wood the wildlife gets on with there lives far from us humans and at night is when most of the activities go on. So settling down I set about discovering what was active. Listening just to the sounds of the forest does not always tell you exactly what's there, but the scampering of small mammals was evident. I also heard the sounds of Owls out hunting. I could not positively identify what species, but I heard the sound of one taking a vole or a mouse. As I peered into gloom, I think I could see the bird fly off, but with no clear view I could not say what it was. I also saw and heard a fox go by.

As I sat I could hear the deer were active too, but I could not see them. After I thought they had passed I decided I would have a drink from my flask. I don't know if it was some sound that I made, or the aroma of the coffee but some fifteen feet from behind me came a burst of sound as four or five Roe Deer burst into activity as they made to flee from my presence. This caused me to drop my flask in the mud. It took me about half an hour to gather my gear back together. I ended up looking like I was doing an impression of a hippopotamus by the time I was finished.
It is not the first time that I have been startled by wildlife, I doubt that it will be the last. I am just glad that I do not have a wife or partner to go back to, or else I would be sleeping in a kennel.

However, my primary objective was fulfilled and I know that it will be possible to set up the camera trap. There was no human disturbance and this will mean I can avoid doing my impressions of icicles or mud loving animals.

Unexpected Badger Encounters

Yesterday I spoke briefly about seeing a Badger that's heavily pregnant. Normally it would be nearly impossible to see or even get near a sow that is pregnant. However, the weather played its part, as because of the heavy rain one of the tunnels in one of the smaller setts, one that I have been guessing is predominantly used as a nursery sett, became flooded. Previously I had noticed that some saturated bedding had been dragged out. Therefore I started watching to see if the wet weather was adversely impacting upon these mammals.

I could see that there were rivulets that were running into one of the tunnels, this was one that had obviously been abandoned many years before. What I was seeing now explains why they abandoned this entrance. Yet because you cant see how extensive the network of tunnels are, this abandoned entrance must be connected with the current bedding chamber.

It is the extensive nature of a Badger sett that can make it difficult and frustrating to observe Badgers. It does help keep the Badgers safe, while there are no natural predators in the UK now, in the past they would have been on the menu for Wolfs and Lynx, this complexity of the sett remains. It does however enable a wildlife watcher the opportunity for that unexpected encounter.

So while I was checking out what was happening, after seeing the saturated bedding, I was near one of the other entrances to this sett. Unexpectedly I heard the sound of a Badger in the tunnel. I was in the wrong place, to exposed and the wind was blowing my scent towards the sett. Laying down in the mud, I am sure that my mother or my ex would have been horrified by my childish behaviour, and waited to see if the Badger would emerge. Badgers always sniff the air before and as they emerge, thus I was expecting her to race back in. My scent was obviously in the air and she could smell me. While I don't think that she could see me, her head kept on turning towards me. While she was hesitate, she finally emerged and it was clear that she was wet. Wetter than the outside of the tunnel, further because her thick fur was plastered to her body, I could see clearly that she is heavily pregnant. Normally she would be steadfastly deep in her nursery chamber as she will be giving birth in the next week or so.

One of the reasons why I had been watching this particular set is because I knew that the female inhabiting this one was likely to have been pregnant and that I would have a chance to see cubs latter in the year. However, while I was able to track her part of the way, she gave me the slip. I have ideas of where she went, but no certainty of where she moved to. Therefore, I may not see the cubs when they first emerge.

Well that's all part of the magic of watching wildlife, you just don't know what you will see. Now where did I put the washing powder?

More on Co-evolution and Interdependence

Just a couple of days ago I was talking about some of the ways that completely different species have a dependence upon the other. While many are obvious such as food and prey, most prey species need the predator to control their numbers; otherwise they outstrip their food supply. That scenario, as witnessed in many species when the predators are reduced or removed, has the effect of reducing the prey species more than would ever be lost via predation. That is because while some will die from starvation, the greater effect is reduced breeding rates and increased infant mortality. Thus the importance of a full range of species within any habitat is now well understood.

However, currant research is still illuminating some very interesting and subtle examples of interdependence. I still can’t get the image out of my head of scientists sniffing ants. See the previous post on this subject.

However, research is highlighting many surprising examples of the symbiosis of different species and the importance of large animals. As I have mentioned before, in Yellowstone National Park, they discovered that having a healthy and sizable population of Wolfs changed the behaviour of the Elk. By adjusting the way the Elk feed, by keeping them out in the open and away from the Forest and trees, willow and aspen regenerated. This in turn provided food and shelter for beavers, who by creating their pools and this in turn helped the dippers, amphibians and reptiles. The web of benefits extends out to include about one hundred species where a direct link can be shown to the reintroduction to the wolf more than a decade previously.

Research just published in Science Magazine, that journal for the AAAS, carried out by Florida University, has made some remarkable discoveries about the importance of the need for the large herbivores in protecting the acacia trees in the African Savannah.

While this may appear counter intuitive, the acacia trees need the large herbivores like Giraffes, Elephants and Antelope to nibble the trees to remain healthy. As what happens is when the trees are grazed the tree reacts by producing a sweet sap. This may in part be to help heal the wounds, but the important part is this sap attracts ants, specifically, the biting ant Crematogaster who act as body guards for the trees. When the herbivores come back to the Acacias, the ants fight off the grazers; this prevents the tree from being damaged beyond loosing some growth.

The researchers from Stamford University and Florida University isolated the trees, mimicking the loss of (extinctions) the herbivores by fencing the trees off. The effect was not what anyone expected to see as instead of the trees thriving the in fact suffered and became less vibrant and grew more stunted than the ones that were grazed. Part of the effect was that the tree by getting nibbled stimulated extra growth. But the process was more complex than that. Once grazing did not injure the trees they stopped producing the sap that attracted the ants. The loss of the ants allowed other insects to invade and bore into the trees weakening the trees. Therefore the trees needed to large mammals to browse them, to gain the protective alliance of the ants.

It shows that even in the natural world we all need friends.




Photo © Westend61/Alamy

Learning Lessons from the Badgers

Meanwhile back to the environment. As my regular reader will know I have been spending a lot of time out watching some of my local badgers. Concentrating upon two of the sett’s, I hope to learn more about their behaviour and habits first hand. This has entailed me keeping the frost company while the wind stabs at me robbing me of body heat. While I do take care to keep warm, as I have to remain fairly still, I don’t have the benefit of movement and exercise to maintain body temperature. Therefore, when heavy rain was forecast, I decided to suspend my observations. It was unlikely the badgers would be that active, and the chance of obtaining any meaningful observations would be diminished.

Therefore, today was the first time I had been out for the past two days. I decided to go and look at the entire seven sett’s that I know of in the local area. The wet conditions makes spotting activity easier and my assumptions that the badgers would not be that active in the rain was only partially correct. As with all animals hunger will drive the badgers out looking for food. Further, as a badgers diet is mainly worms, the wet conditions make it easier to find the worms they rely upon. So that’s a lesson that I have learnt and one I should have known.

However, I have learnt something new about badgers already. I had noticed that the badgers were collecting up a lot of bracken for bedding. At this time of year it could be assumed that they are preparing for winter. But I noticed this happening in the summer as well. It seems that the badgers are collecting it when its dry and storing it so that will have a supply of dry bedding even when the conditions are wet. With this hypostatise I was able to find at each of the seven sett’s what appears to be a dry bedding store. Therefore it does appear that the badgers are able to plan ahead and it doesn’t seem to be just one or two clever badgers that are doing this but all of the family groups.

While the overcast and dark conditions made it difficult for photography, I did get some pictures to illustrate the amount of water that has fallen. Further the river is filling up and still rising. There is no risk of floods, but it must make it difficult for the wildlife that uses the river. It was getting towards dusk when I got to the end of my circuit but I did spot where a dipper is choosing to roost. I did try and take a couple of pictures but there wasn’t enough light, but I hope to return, so watch this space.

Night Life

Last night was the first night for over two weeks, which I have not been out keeping station on the Badgers. It was only because of the poor weather conditions that I decided to keep to my bed, as my nocturnal activities had enabled a chest cold to persist.

While it has been remarkable to watch the season change from autumn to winter, even more remarkable has been my ability to witness the animals as they prepare for winter. Often at night it is really the sounds that tell you the story of what is occurring, however the frequently heard owls seemed to have been everywhere. I had to do some serious reading to work out if what I was seeing was unique. But I realised that it is in fact just that the young hatched this year are finding their own feet, or should that be talons, and trying to establish territories. The fact that they are doing it in their parents’ territories is why they are suddenly so frequently seen. So while this observation is nothing new to science, it has increased my understanding of the natural world. Further, I have been privileged to be using the same branch as my viewing platform as a young tawny owl has been utilising as a hunting perch.

This observation also helped me to decode some of the other faint sounds I was hearing. What I had initially thought was the gentle rustle of leaf in the breeze turned out to be small mammals, mice, vole even shrews.

Then there have been the sounds and shadows of the foxes lightly imprinting their path across the frosted leaves. While a fox can be silent, the cries they emanate can make the blood run cold. I understand that when the mating season for foxes happens, the police get an increase in the number of calls informing them that some thinks a woman is being attacked in the bushes somewhere. Quite a chilling sound and it is no wonder that myths grew up around woods.

Before even talking about the badgers, the other remarkable experience is the deer. With my perch in a tree, I am above the roe deer as the pass below me. They know my sent and know that I have passed, but fortunately they don’t look up. If they did they would see me as this small group of seven hinds walk, amble and skip just feet below me. I may take a picture of this, but I know the flash will startle them and I don’t want to disturb the natural behaviour that I am seeing. Nor frighten them into taking another route. Partly this is because in the badgers I am seeing some remarkable behaviour.

After the deer have passed, quite close to the sett, the badgers seem to then go grubbing for worms along the track the deer took. This has the effect of obliterating almost all the signs that the deer were there. But what has been even more curious is that on the couple of nights that I haven’t seen the deer the badgers don’t forage for worms there. Further, when the deer were late passing, the badgers seemed to wait until they had passed and seemed to move from an equally rich feeding area to feed on the deer track. While I suspect that there is something else going on, it appears as if the badgers are aiding the deer by hiding their passing. Quite curious.

At the Birth of a New Day

While a lot of people that I talk to say that they would love to see wildlife, most of them are not willing to make the effort, or have the patients to wait and watch. I do understand that people have busy lives, but the rewards garnered from just sitting quietly can be so rewarding. That is perhaps why so many people see my watching of wildlife as being so eccentric. I have been told to my face that I am weird, yet equally complete strangers will tell me of their encounters with the natural world.

Often the greatest obstacles to getting people to share the experience is getting them up and out of bed early, and then getting them to keep quiet. In the past I have taken people to see wildlife, but as is often the case, you may not see what you hope to see. However, there will always be something that you will see, even if it’s a frequently seen bird, just sitting waiting and watching can be rewarding.

Where I can agree that I am different is that I am prepared to wait out in the cold and often damp conditions during the night. With the waxing moon, or the full moon, there is surprisingly a lot of light to see by. Obviously this depends upon cloud cover, as the clouds can and frequently do cut off this illumination. But having cloudless skies does mean that the nights are colder. However, whatever the conditions, watching wildlife in the dark is never easy. It’s often your other senses that tell you what’s there.

Watching Badgers will frequently lead you to encounters with foxes, but it is often owls that are your most frequent companions in the night. Only the other night while sitting up a tree over looking one of the entrances to a particular Badger sett, I had the indignity of having a tawny owl regurgitate its pellet down on to my head. Had it not fallen on to my lap I may not have realised exactly what it was. However, it’s normally their calls that alert me to their presence. Just as it is the sounds that tell me when the mice and voles are about.

One strange noise that I have been hearing I have now discerned what was causing it. I had been hearing sounds of something moving earth or digging, but it was not the badgers, as on more than one occasion it was so close that had it been a Badger, Fox or even a rabbit I would have seen it. I had already made a good working hypothesis that it was a mole, but I needed to be sure. Then last night I saw in a clearly in a pool of moonlight, a mole poking its head out of the ground. That solved that mystery but proved that no matter how much experience any of us has, there is more to learn and much more to delight us.

While the night is teaming with movement and sounds, it is when new day nears that the song of dawn really delights the ears. It’s normally the Robin that is the first to sing, followed by the ubiquitous blackbird and chaffinch, while the tits provide the backing vocals.

As the sun lifts it light the woodland stage of a new day. That’s what makes the eccentricity of spending my nights uncomfortably perched so worthwhile.

An Amazing Experience

At this moment I am sitting nursing a myriad of small cuts and grazes from having walked through some very overgrown brambles and such like. The reason why I put myself through such torture is simply that I was tracking some of our not frequently seen wildlife. Although to be precise, it is because these rare sightings have been seen that I was looking for them.

I knew where to look, as I have been on the trail of the Roe Deer for a while now, and I got to see exactly where they were. It was too early in the morning to take pictures when I first got myself into position. But I thought that as I had not disturbed them I would wait and see if they would stay until there was enough light.

Laying down on brambles is not my idea of fun at the best of times, however I was close to getting a picture, and I just needed to wait about an hour for the sun to rise over the trees and illuminate the area where the deer were. From my hidden position, I was careful not to make any sudden movements, nor did I want to make any sounds either. But after twenty minutes or so I had my camera ready and the deer were still there, totally unaware of me, the wind had been in my favour when I approached and I just needed to keep still and quiet.

After about forty minutes I could see the light levels were increasing, my light meter was saying that I could get a quarter second exposure, but as I had only brought a monopod with me, a tripod being to cumbersome, I knew nothing would come out but a blurred shape if that. My heart was pounding as knew that this was likely to be my best chance for ages.

Then the deer started to move away a little bit. I could still get a reasonable image, but the light was still to dim. If I changed to a longer focal length lens, I would also need more light still as that lens was a slower one and with the increased chance of camera shake, a higher shutter speed too. I decided to wait it out, I was amazed that I had been able to observe the Deer for what must be close on to an hour, when all of a sudden they bolted away.

Was it something I had done? I didn’t think I had made any sound. It was not until I stood up did I realise that it was a woman walking her dog that had startled the Deer.

Well another time perhaps, I did try and track them, hence the lacerations, but their stronghold was to well concealed in the undergrowth for me to be able to make any silent progress. At least I can be sure that they are wary enough of humans to remain safe.

Whilst I didn’t get any pictures I got an amazing experience.