I decided to move one of the remote cameras that I'd set up to try to capture activity on the white sandbags where there had been quite a lot of activity in the past. I'd fixed the camera on the opposite bank of the river but the distance from the target spot was a bit too far so the Infra Red flash was not powerful enough to illuminate the area adequately. It was triggered on several occasions by something but it was impossible to see anything clearly.
However its not all bad news i did manage to capture a couple of shots which were quite nice. The first a very nice looking fox which may be the same one I've captured in the past.
Another slightly unexpected animal to pass by was this cautious looking Muntjac Deer. Although not a native species in the UK they are now quite widespread. I've never seen one in this location or in any part of Otter Valley for that matter. They do occur locally in woodland about 4 miles north of this location. In this mixed woodland area there are quite a few Muntjac but they are always cautious and not always easy to see unless you are very quiet.
The other camera which i'd already moved slightly to give me a wider view of the area where i'd successfully captured footage of the otter in the past hasn't yielded anything new on the otter front. This has been a bit disappointing but I feel sure i'll capture something new soon. There has been quite a lot of human activity during the day in the area. There has been a great deal of tree management going no, not only clearing up after the recent gales but also general winter tidying along roads and pathways. Wether this might have put the otters off i'm not sure.
I did capture quite a nice daytime shot of this Great Spotted Woodpecker inspecting this old post for potential grubs. The daytime colour is a bonus and really shows how colourful these birds really are up close. You can also see how effective the black and white markings would be in the dappled light of a large tree. Breaking up the outline of the bird and making it blend into the pattern of light and shade as it explores.
Anyway back to the otters. I have seen fresh spraint so they are still active in this area so I'll have to persevere a little longer. The main problem at the moment is where to place cameras so that I can monitor movements and hopefully learn something of their habits or routine as they pass through this area. Most of the locations I've used up til now are slightly off the main track this makes it easier to place the cameras safely out of the way but now i'm running out of options. I had hoped to gain access to an area further away from the main public areas but sadly my request for access was denied.
Therefore I have to put my cameras in much more public areas and will have to take the chance that they may be discovered by other people. I have two new locations in mind but it is incredibly difficult to hide the camera. The first location I've selected is a small concrete rock which sits just to the side of a small bridge that passes over a small river channel regularly used by otters.
From my observations I think the otters are quite active in this area. They often seem to cross between the main river and this smaller channel but also seem to access a large area of slightly marshy ground to the west of this river channel that winds through the fields and farmland from the spring behind the church to the North West. As you may remember otters have helped themselves to the stock in the fishery that lies behind the church so we know this is a potential regular route for the otters.
Earlier this week I did locate a new sprinting location along this river channel and have been watching this rock by the footbridge almost daily. Setting up they camera has been problematic since there are few locations to attach the camera without it being totally obvious to passers by. Not only this but there are few things to attach it to that allow me to point the camera at the sprainting rock. After quite a considerable amount of messing around I did finally manage to fix the camera in place although actually getting it to point at the right spot after securing it to a small tree and attaching the security cable to it was a real puzzle. In fact i didn't manage to get it right the first time so had to return a day or two later to adjust the position after review the first captures which seemed to be pointing at the water and not the rock. Setting up the camera securly is a real problem sometimes. I have just sent off for another tree bracket which you just screw into a tree or post that has an easily adjustable head to make positioning much more straightforward. That said its not always easy to find a nearby tree or post.
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