Norfolk mammals (1 Viewer)

eco · Nov 25, 2012

Out birding today along the River Thurne I heard a commotion on the far reed bank i looked up to see an dog otter had taken an adult moorhen, what with the recent re-introduction of these top predators on our waterways, what are peoples feeling on how over time they will affect nesting birds such as bitterns, marsh harriers and cranes?

scary-canary · Nov 26, 2012

eco said:
Out birding today along the River Thurne I heard a commotion on the far reed bank i looked up to see an dog otter had taken an adult moorhen, what with the recent re-introduction of these top predators on our waterways, what are peoples feeling on how over time they will affect nesting birds such as bitterns, marsh harriers and cranes?

They're back where they belong.

Jabberwocky · Dec 4, 2012

We had a brief view of a weasel in our log pile on Saturday. It had a drink from the dish of water there for the birds and disappeared into the logs.

Lewis

Farnboro John · Dec 4, 2012

eco said:
Out birding today along the River Thurne I heard a commotion on the far reed bank i looked up to see an dog otter had taken an adult moorhen, what with the recent re-introduction of these top predators on our waterways, what are peoples feeling on how over time they will affect nesting birds such as bitterns, marsh harriers and cranes?

This is nature. Everything eats something. Get over it.

John

PYRTLE · Dec 5, 2012

Eco,
Otters are now in nearly every county in the UK due to a ban on hunting them to near extinction by humans using hounds and guns. They are part of our wildlife and most people welcome their return to sustainable numbers, I don't believe they have been reintroduced to Norfolk, just benefited from cleaner rivers and suitable habitat. This is part of bio-diversity, the ecosystem, call it what you may. Otters prescence will keep mink away, mink kill waterbirds for more than just a meal and are far more of a threat to riparian creatures. I don't believe there will be much of a change in numbers to those birds you mention by the direct behaviour of otters.
Regards, P.

C B Allen · Dec 5, 2012

PYRTLE said:
Eco,
Otters are now in nearly every county in the UK due to a ban on hunting them to near extinction by humans using hounds and guns. They are part of our wildlife and most people welcome their return to sustainable numbers, I don't believe they have been reintroduced to Norfolk, just benefited from cleaner rivers and suitable habitat. This is part of bio-diversity, the ecosystem, call it what you may. Otters prescence will keep mink away, mink kill waterbirds for more than just a meal and are far more of a threat to riparian creatures. I don't believe there will be much of a change in numbers to those birds you mention by the direct behaviour of otters.
Regards, P.

I had always thought that there had been a prolonged re-introdution program run by the otter trust at Earsham near Bungay - albeit right on the South Norfolk boundary. Also found the following on the NWT website:

Otter populations crashed to near extinction across most of lowland England by the mid 1970’s as a result of pesticide poisoning, loss of habitat and hunting. Otters were released by the Otter Trust in Norfolk between 1984 and 1997 with the approval of the statutory conservation bodies existing at the time; there have been no releases since then (other than orphaned otters which are released by the RSPCA as close as possible to the location that they came from). It is worth pointing out that since the 1970s, otters have also spread naturally from western lowland England back across the Midlands into eastern England, so the release programme simply speeded up their natural re-colonisation of Norfolk.

Regarding otters and mink; we have run a couple of mink rafts/traps for the last 4 or 5 years on our dykes on Thorpe marshes and trapped out mink on 2 or 3 occasions but haven't seen any sign in the last couple of years - whilst we have seen otter in increasing numbers in the same time (have got shots of otter, stoat and water voles on top of a mink raft using a trail camera last winter!)

Chris A.

Tideliner · Dec 6, 2012

Chris you are right there was a major otter reintroduction project in Norfolk in the 1980s organised by Philip Wayre using captive bred animals. I saw a huge dog otter on the Thorpe marshes a few years ago and regularly seen others in the area . Otters are not quite so innocent as some believe. They caused a complete desertion of one avocet breeding colony on the North coast 3 years ago and have badly upset a couple of winter duck roosts. When I lived in St Olaves I lost a lot of ornamental ducks to otters in some years. The Fritton pair used to bring their young to play in the duck pen with serious results. They did not kill many , but maimed a number , just pulling wings or legs off for the fun of it , so the injured birds had to be put down. Its almost impossible to keep them out of the enclosure as if they did not find a hole they simply bit through the wire mesh fencing.

Fritton Lake ( often used to watch them in Lound water works ) along with the Wensum and Stiffkey valleys were their stronghold until the reintroduction

PYRTLE · Dec 6, 2012

Thank you gents, I stand corrected and informed. P

eco · Jan 1, 2013

Spotted a grey seal swimming strongly inland on the River Waveney at Haddiscoe marshes today.

Tideliner · Jan 3, 2013

Anyone else noticed the number of otters showing at the moment. I have seen at least 8 individuals since Boxing day including a pair so close they could be almost touched in the Wavenly valley. I had close views of the at dawn the other day in the Yare Valley too. All my sightings have been before sunrise and I am guessing many holts have been flooded with all the recent rain. The coloured water probably makes hunting harder too. Last week the upper Wavenly valley was looking more like the Ouse Washes in full flood. I had prolonged views as a pair diveing in and out of some reeds , sometimes surfacing almost at my feet until some idiot woman turned up flashing a torch about and shouting at the top of her voice on the flooded roadway a few hundred yards off.

skeiner · Jan 6, 2013

Ermine in NW Norfolk

Very damp and foggy in this part of Norfolk today so decided not to take camera on my usual late afternoon walk - a mistake! A pure white stoat ran across the road some 20 metres in front of me. We see both stoats and weasels quite frequently around here and we have had a pair (?) of stoats in the garden on several occasions, sometimes indulging it that frantic dashing about they are famous for.
Less excitingly we also have a visiting muntjac. We wondered what was happening to our apples on a minature tree in the garden until we pulled back the cutains one morning to see it up on its back legs helping itself!
We also see Chinese Water Deer and Roe Deer quite regularly in area.
Some photos attached but alas none of ermine!

Robert S J Smith · Jan 8, 2013

Is it just me or is anyone else seeing a lot of Stoats lately?

Peter Dolton · Jan 10, 2013

A stoat in ermine was along the New Cut from Haddiscoe bridge this morning. It was just about where the hard track turns away from the Cut.
peter

jimbob · Jan 30, 2013

If anyone is interested, I have added a write up of a Bat hibernation roost visit to my blog. This was with the Norwich Bat group at Whitlingham. Natterer's, Brown Long-eared and Daubenten's the 3 species encountered, and a super morning it was too.
Cheers,
Jim.

dendroica · Jan 31, 2013

Great views of Otter at Costessey GPs this morning (at the entrance gate end of the ski pit for those that might know the site). Watched for 15 mins fishing at close range. Where was my camera?....safely at home!:-C

tootsietim · Feb 3, 2013

Badgers...
A shame never to have seen a live one in the county, but a dead badger was on the main road (A1067) just to the Norwich side of Bawdeswell.
Must be the third or fourth I've seen in that general area over the last few years.

sacha · Feb 4, 2013

tootsietim said:
Badgers...
A shame never to have seen a live one in the county, but a dead badger was on the main road (A1067) just to the Norwich side of Bawdeswell.
Must be the third or fourth I've seen in that general area over the last few years.

There are a few in this area. I saw one running along the road between Bawdswell and Reepham 2011 and a dead one just on outskirts of Reepham last year. Not quite as close but I have also seen Badger footprints at Buxton.
Sacha

Jhanlon · Feb 9, 2013

I hear otters have been showing regularly at the dipper site in Thetford. Anyone got any more info such as where, when, how often?

Tideliner · Feb 9, 2013

There is no shortage of badgers in the Bawdeswell area and sadly see several knocked over on the roadside every year. I was out a few miles north of there last summer and saw 17 while doing a late night deer survey with infra red night sights , including 7 togeather sluging in a sugar beet field.

sacha · Feb 9, 2013

Tideliner said:
There is no shortage of badgers in the Bawdeswell area and sadly see several knocked over on the roadside every year. I was out a few miles north of there last summer and saw 17 while doing a late night deer survey with infra red night sights , including 7 togeather sluging in a sugar beet field.

Wow, that trumps my 'one' running along the road. The night deer survey sounds like fun!

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