New snowfall reveals more of the story

The overnight snow showers were again light but the covering at first light was thicker than last weekend. The landscape has a cold erie luminance when there is a blanket of snow, its strangely reassuring. You can see further and there is more definition in the shadows which makes wintery early morning exploration far more enjoyable despite the biting cold. Usually its pitch black at 6am and the imaginary shadow monsters of childhood still lurk in the subconscious and cause the heart to beats a little faster if you happen to flush out a pheasant or hear a sudden crack or crunch nearby in fathomless darkness.

Today I thought i would try to cover as much ground as possible to see what the snow covering might reveal. Snow acts like a giant sheet of paper and the tracks and signs laid down over night are like words written down to tell the tail of what when on over night. The important thing is to be the first to read the story since when other people begin to stir and move over the page the story becomes much harder to read and eventually is oblitorated by human footprints and dog tracks a like.

I began by walking up to the northern end of otter valley. There has been very little evidence of otter activity here over the past few weeks so I was keen to see if the snow might tell a different story. Fox tracks were everywhere. Its surprising how far a fox travels over night i followed one set of tracks almost from my front door all the way along the river for about 2 miles. The Northern end of otter valley is where i'd set up my cameras in the past and I still have one set up there. For weeks i've seen little otter activity and almost no sprainting so, as i approached the first key bend in the river - where the footbridge crosses a small side stream, i was keen to see if there were any clean tracks visible. At first sight absolutely nothing, i even went up and own the banks of the river a few hundred meters but still no signs of activity at all. Then, as I made my way towards the main road I notices one set of tracks crossing the path into the reedy area where the river crosses meadows beyond which lies the church and the fishery. The tracks were clearly otter and I could see where the animal had left the main river, crossed over the footpath, under a fence and over the snow covered meadow towards the smaller side channel. From here I couldn't track it any further since this is all private property but at least its a good sign that the otter is still about even if its activity appears to be more transitory than before.

My next target was the new area I've been looking at where i'd seen tracks in the snow previously. I quickly made my way back home and jumped in the car to travel the 2-3km to this more southerly part of the valley. Speed is of the essence here because its 7.30am and the number of dog walkers about is on the increase and i need to get there before any evidence is wiped away by clattering feet. I arrived just as the light levels began to lift from the gloom of early dawn into the crisp light of morning. The Path along the river bank appears virginal which is a big bonus and I begin to make my way along the river heading south. Again fox tracks are in abundance and it is possible to get a clear idea of the gait of the animal as it trots purposefully along, occasionally stopping to snuffly about in an adjacent hedge. You can even see the light brushwork of its tail as it dusts away at the surface of the fresh snow to create a delicate furrow of its own as the fox moves along.

Otter Tracks along footpath

Rounding the bend I come to the part of the path where i'd previously seen otter tracks bounding along the path. Once again here they were in abundance. This otter clearly likes this area there has been so much activity here, perhaps it has a temporary holt here in amongst the brambles. The tracks appear to emerge from the bramble thickets to the side of the path and follow the path for a few hundred meters before diving back into the undergrowth again only to emerge once more a little further along.

At one point the otter appears to think about nudging its way under a nylon fence to enter the main river to the right of the shot. It clearly thinks better of it though and continues along the path instead. There are signs that the otter may occasionally enter the river at this point pushing its way under the fence. However there is a steep embankment here so it is unlikely that it would leave the river here so it would have to travel further down river and emerge by the sluice gate where i've set up a camera to see it this might be the case. Hopeful i'll get some new footage soon - if I'm lucky.

Otter tracks appear to approach the netting fence and
there are signs that it pushes at the base of the net
but then move off again along the path

Further along the path the otters seems to have a roll in the snow. There are clear signs of it thrashing about against the hedge line. This activity may be connected with cleaning its fur or even trying to remove excess water. Anyway it is interesting to have clear evidence of different sorts of behaviour all of which helps to develop my understanding of the otter's routine and lifestyle.

Just a few meters beyond this point there were human footprints so luckily for me this human had decided to turn round and go back along the river the way they had come otherwise all this lovely otter evidence would have been lost.

Badger print with its long dangerous looking claws
and broad powerful appearance

I continued along the main river to a weir where the path takes a sharp right through a small wood. This leads to another area where I'd seen a large amount of otter activity in the past. I was curious to see if the snow would reveal anything new here. Crossing the small footbridge in tot he wood i noticed a new set of tracks but this time not otter but badgers who clearly come down this way either to drink at the river or simply to forage for grubs etc in the undergrowth. Badgers are close relatives of the otter and like otters have a distinctive 5 toed print. The print of the badger shows a much broader and more powerful looking print. The claws appear to be long and dangerous looking unlike those of the otter which are almost invisible.