The Barley Birder: Otter

Showing posts with label Otter. Show all posts

Friday, 7 August 2015

Bird Ringing at Titchfield Haven - Early August 2015 update

Despite my lack of posts on the subject the autumn bird ringing has been progressing steadily at Titchfield Haven, and when I say steadily I mean just that. Throughout July the numbers of birds ringed were low compared with last year, and the most noteworthy thing was that in that period we only caught one Grasshopper Warbler, by the end of July last year we had ringed 30. Last weekend things picked up a bit with 120 birds ringed on Saturday and 98 on Sunday, but today things really got going, with 181 birds ringed.

It was a busy session with just Barry and I ringing and Colin who was our scribe for the morning. Clear and still overnight conditions are the best for our site and it was evident by the first round that it would be a bit busy. As expected for this time of year Reed and Sedge Warblers made up a bulk of the catch with over 130 birds between them. Willow Warbler was the next most numerous with over 20 new birds ringed.

Juvenile Willow Warbler

The numbers of Sylvia warblers is slowly starting to build and today we were surprised to catch 10 new Garden Warblers, including two adult birds, which are always nice for comparison. Common Whitethroats and Blackcaps, were also ringed but in much smaller numbers.

Juvenile Garden Warbler

The other species included our second Grasshopper Warbler of the year, Chiffchaff, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Bullfinch, Blackbird, Robin, Cetti's Warbler and a juvenile Reed Bunting. This year Bullfinch numbers have been at an all time high, but that is because they have bred in our ringing area for the first time this year.

Juvenile Reed Bunting

One of our net rides is set over a purpose built boardwalk that leads down the the river Meon. At this time of year it is one of our busiest rides since it cuts down through an area of Phragmites reed bed. The end of the ride is a great place to stand and get a view of the river, especially when mud is exposed.

The jetty net ride

This morning it was evident that we had had an overnight visitor as there were two very fresh Otter spraints and the end of the jetty was still wet where it had hauled out of the river. Despite being on the site at very unsociable hours of a regular basis, I have not yet seen an otter here, hopefully I won't have to wait much longer.

Fresh Otter Spraint

Friday, 1 February 2013

In Search of Winter Birds - Norfolk 2013 Day 1

So here we are again back in Norfolk for a spot of winter birding and a chance to catch up with birding friends from around the country. Our trip would normally begin at Lakenheath Fen, but this year we decided to start in Thetford. An odd place to start one might think, but this year a black-bellied dipper, the nominate (European) race of the British sub-species, had decided to take up residence on a small stream next to BTO headquarters.

Black-bellied Dipper Cinclus cinclus cinclus, Thetford, Norfolk, the nominate race from
Northern Europe and North-western France. The resident race in the UK is
Cinclus cinclus gularis, which is distinguished by the presence of a reddish brown
colouration beneath the white throat.

During previous visits to Norfolk when this sub-species has been present, we have spent hours looking, but to no avail, this year however, we spent seconds looking and there it was! Unfortunately, the light was very poor and combined with steady rain photography was difficult. We spent a good half an hour enjoying what proved to be a very confiding individual, in stark contrast to the birds I normally see in Valency Valley, Cornwall. The British sub-species of dipper has a rich reddish brown colouration between the white breast and the dark brown belly. This individual lacks this reddish brown patch, as can be seen on the picture above.

Eurasian Otter Lutra lutra feeding along the river bank on the Little Ouse,
Thetford Photo A. Mason

Before heading on to our next stop we had a quick stroll along the Little Ouse in Thetford is search of a resident otter. Initially we were unsuccessful before an animal was spotted feeding along the opposite shore. The otter was feeding directly under the bank and when submerged it could be followed by a line of air bubbles breaking the surface. In recent years the otter population has seen a marked recovery and many individuals, as this one can be very approachable.

Whooper Swan - Lakenheath Fen

Content with our views of otter and dipper we headed on to Lakenheath Fen. The birds have not been guaranteed at Lakenheath this year, probably due to a combination of the high water levels and the mixed weather conditions (one day mild, one day freezing). We did manage to see the usual species, such as marsh harriers, bearded tits and a brief view of a flying bittern.

A lone whooper swan, which was associating with the local mutes swans, was a welcome surprise, and a male barn owl gave us prolonged views for a while, but unfortunately it was the other side of the river so the the views were distant. A hunting peregrine provided us with a brief but exciting view, whilst flocks of lapwing and fieldfare moved steadily overhead.

Barn Owl (Male) - Lakenheath Fen

Having exhausted the birding opportunities at Lakenheath Fen we headed north to our accommodation at Great Bircham. Our journey was briefly interrupted for a flock of over 100 Bewick's swans, before pressing on to our destination.

Bewick's Swans

So by the end of our first day we had seen 64 species of birds, the highlight for me was undoubtedly the black-bellied dipper, but for others the otter was the star. The most interesting thing was undoubtedly the large movement of lapwings and thrushes, movements such of these are usually associated with cold weather but there is no cold weather in the forecast....where are all these birds going?

Sunday, 6 November 2011

In Search of Tarka!

Today I thought that I would have a break from the norm and so decided to go in search of Otters. I had been told of a site on the River Stour in Dorset where Otters can be reliably seen and so decided to try my luck. I opted for a pre-dawn start in order to try to get to the site for the period that I imaged them to be more active, despite being told that they were incredibly confiding and could be easily seen at any time of the day. I have seen Otters on several occasions over the years, but most have been fleeting glimpses at dusk or dawn, although my most memorable encounter was when in the Canadian State of Ontario one winter. I was able to watch an adult and two cubs hunting along a frozen stretch of river whilst a Bald Eagle tried to catch them unawares.....an intriguing game of chess ensued, and of course the otters won!!

Anyway back to today. I arrived at the site to see a couple of wildlife photographers dressed from head to toe in camouflage gear waiting patiently by the river side. I politely inquired whether they had seen the Otters, and from the grunted response I was able to ascertain that a brief sighting was all. So my options were to stand and wait with these guys, or wander further along the river to search for them.....I chose that latter. I had been told that the best places to watch from were the bridges that cross the river, so I walked from the one with the photographers west along the river. I reached the next bridge and met a couple of much more sociable joggers, who said that they had just been watching an Otter feeding just round the bend of the river....so off I went.

Loch Ness Monster ..... or is it?

As I worked my way along the river I continually scanned the river, and it was not long before I found one, or was it? In the half light my first impression was that the Loch Ness Monster hadn't been found in Scotland because it was now prowling the depths of the River Stour in Dorset. I continued stealthily towards this monster and was soon provided with a more distinctive and clearer view of an Otter.