Ericht Beaver Watcher’s Blog

September on the Ericht By Bob Smith

If I thought August was busy, boy was I in for one major shock!!! What with tours, presentations, stalls and trapping, this turned out to be one of my busiest months.

On the 2^nd I was down the river with my pal Rhona. It was quite a dark evening but Rhona did manage to get a couple of pictures. A few kingfishers were spotted as well

As some of you will be aware, SWBG are assisting with the trapping and release (after health checks etc) of the Tayside beavers. I was involved in one particular trap and we were having no success in getting the beavers to go near the trap let alone go in it regardless of how much bait we put down. However, I came up with a cunning plan lol. Enter Baldrick (aka Bob) I thought that I would drench the trap and the surrounding area in apple juice! From the 3^rd through to the 7^th this appeared to have done the trick as we had beavers in the trap every night and images on the camera trap to prove the case. We also had mice and the odd Robin or two!! The trap wasn’t set as we wanted to be sure that it was beavers entering it rather than something else. Once it was confirmed that the beavers were interested, the decision was made to set the trap for Sunday the 8^th and I was to check it on the Monday morning. More to follow on this shortly……………………….

8^th of September, Blairgowrie Highland Games, and SWBG were running a stall. To help me out in the morning I had Jean Oudney and in the afternoon Victor Clements and Tina Ng Mann; and Rhona Forrester aided me for the full day. It was a brilliant day weather wise, beautiful sunshine and a huge crowd had gathered. Our stall was well set out though we did agree to share it with the wonderful Perthshire Wildlife group.

We had a really busy day passing out leaflets, giving kids quizzes, and generally engaging the public. Through a raffle we held, we managed to raise, after costs, an amazing £150. During the day I met a couple from England that were desperate for a tour that evening as it was their last night in Blairgowrie and were heading south the next day. I couldn’t actually manage to take them down but I gave them directions to where to sit and when to go. It was not until about 6:30 that evening that I remembered that the trap was going to be set so I thought I’d nip down and have a wee peek and add some more apple juice. Thankfully I met the couple, Lorraine and Peter and took them down the river a wee bit and sure enough within 5 minutes of us arriving a beaver appeared. I was really chuffed for them and made my excuses and left them to it. I had told them to move positions back up the river before 8 as the beavers seemed to move up there around that time. So you can imagine my delight when I got a message from them the following day thanking me as they had seen 6 beavers after 8 in the location I had told them about and in very close proximity. Happy days.

The 9^th was another busy day as I had to visit the trap first thing to check it to see if we had been successful. As I wandered down to it, I noticed the doors were down! Superb I thought, we have one. I approached as quietly as I could and looked through the grill………nothing!!!! I then checked the camera, it wasn’t working!!! I phoned TBSG and informed them and we came to the conclusion that a beaver or large animal had bumped the trap and set it off but we’ll never know for sure. Anyway, more setting and baiting was to follow over the next few weeks but I won’t bore you with the details.

The evening of the 9^th, I was to give a presentation to the Perth Guides. I was ably helped out by my hard working assistant Rhona. We had a great night albeit a bit noisy as you can imagine with 30 teenage girls!!! However that aside, the girls seemed genuinely interested and a good night was had by all.

On the 10^th I had a fabulous night. Not only did I get a wee video but Jean Oudney and her neighbour joined me later on and we saw plenty of animals winging about. This was Dan’s first sighting of these animals and he later told Jean that “this was right up there as one of his top wildlife moments”, brilliant, yet another believer lol. Also on the 10^th my pal Rhona was on the Earn and took this picture of a seal swimming up the river. Rhona admits herself that it’s not a great shot as she was taken totally by surprise.

I was back down on the 11^th and had a great night to myself. I managed to get another wee video of a group of 4 beavers socialising http://youtu.be/9FsvlHPzJIY . And to top it all, I got word that we had made the papers for our work at the games, we were in the Blairie, woo hoo.

Yet again I found myself by the river the over the following 5 days. It was much the same as previous evenings, very busy and soooooooo frustrating not being able to get a decent video or picture as the light was diminishing so quick. However I did manage to get a couple on the 14^th, this one being the best one http://youtu.be/hckQdl4qghE . I was also baiting in and around the trap and on one occasion a beaver had managed to get itself into the trap, bang on the side and trigger 1 door!!!! I couldn’t believe it when I checked the camera and saw the beaver trying to get back out the front door when the back one was open!!! He even came back on another 2 occasions to eat the apples!!! They might not always be the brightest tools in the box.

I was back again on the 16^th with another tour, this time a lad from Dundee, Mike and his pal. Again a brilliant night, beavers galore, dippers and kingfishers, and geese!!!!!! Winter is approaching fast. Another wee video though the quality isn’t great http://youtu.be/LSJB0WlRD-I Rhona also managed to get a few pics which was a bonus

Well that was pretty much it for the week as I spent the following few nights working on the SWBG website with aid from my pal via text. I’m quite pleased with the progress we’ve made so far and I must admit there has been a lot of hard work and silly hours been put in to it.

On the 22^nd I managed to get this wee clip of a beaver kit feeding on a fallen willow bough, totally loved this as it was only around 12 ft if that, away from me http://youtu.be/3uwo7w02opQ . Also that evening I baited up the trap and hoped for the best.

The 23^rd was something else, possibly one of my best beaver days for ages. First thing in the morning I popped down to check the trap, as I approached I noticed the doors were down and I heard a bang! I crept up as quietly as I could and peered in, nothing! Surely not again! I looked again and there, in the corner was a kit looking non-plussed about the whole affair and chewing on an apple. I phoned the girls from SBT and TBSG and told them we had been successful, brilliant. Knowing the girls wouldn’t be too long I headed to work. When I got in I noticed that I had an fb notification from “Naturewatch” a facebook nature lover’s page. They had used my kit picture as their banner for the week. Awesome

So could the day get any better? Hell yes! In the afternoon I received an email from the BBC saying they wanted to do an interview with me about the beavers and possibly using some of my videos for the morning show. Braw, and I’ll keep you all updated as to how that one goes. So, the kit! I received a call from Roisin (SBT) that they were heading back to the trap site with the beaver. It was a boy, and very healthy and it was to be released that afternoon. I hastily made my excuses from work and headed back to the river. I was met there by SBT and TBSG girls Roisin and Helen respectively, lovely girls both. To say I was delighted to have the kit back is an understatement and to witness the release http://youtu.be/tP5Am3ZIgbM was a privilege. I’ve uploaded a couple of videos of his release http://youtu.be/duDYTwkcSNA and I must admit in the excitement I forgot to take photos. However I did get a present of some castoreum and beaver anal gland secretions from Roisin, ah, nothing says it better than beaver bum juice! However, that evening when I was back to the river yet again, Rhona as always got some cracking clips in none too great conditions, this being the one I like the most.

So, that was me for the rest of the week, I think, (days just roll into one when you watch these guys every other night, moments of pure pleasure and relaxation). However I had had an email from a lad from Penrith, Cumbria about 6 weeks ago informing me of his intent on watching the beavers at the end of September with his young son. I did warn him that the chances were diminishing fast due to lack of light but I’d show him anyway. I met Jim and his son Joseph on the Saturday afternoon, lovely lovely people. I told them all about the beavers, showed them the pelt, gave Joseph a couple of mementos that he could show his brothers and I gave them directions on where to go to see the beasties as I was otherwise engaged. I received a text the following day to inform me that they had a few sightings but nothing great, but they were going to try again that evening. I managed to pop down and I told Jim to hang on until after 8 and he would get a better viewing. Sure enough that evening I received a text from them to say they had had a very memorable evening and they thanked me profusely. It was yet another pleasing end to one of my tours.

I visited the river on the last day of the month with Rhona. It was a difficult evening as the wind was an easterly and for some reason beavers and other animals don’t seem to like that particular wind direction and we only managed to see the one beastie. However, one is better than none.

So that was September and also the end of my tours and my blog for this year. Well I’ve actually got a tour around the 10^th but that will be my last this year. So how did my year go? I’ve had over 30 tours since May, taking around 70 people to the river on my own tours. I’ve also helped out with Daniele on a few tours, I can’t remember how many (4-5 so around another 20 people). Of all the people I have taken to the river 96% have seen a beaver as well as other wildlife, 86%  have spent money within the local community on the back of the tour (meal, drink, lodgings etc). I’ve visited a dozen or so schools (with a lot of help from others) and spoken to over 700 kids in the process. We have also delivered a few evening presentations talking to local communities and groups and presented a couple of very successful stalls. So, all in all I think the word has been spread about these beautiful creatures and hopefully next year will be equally successful.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my ramblings and wittering on about the beavers and I hope to deliver something similar next year, so tune in around April and hopefully I’ll be able to update you of what has went on over the winter months. I must thank those that donated pictures and videos to this blog, particularly Rhona.

Thanks for being interested, see you next year

Bob August on the Ericht By Bob Smith

Well, the emergence of the kits was a wonderful thing and to be able to watch them was brilliant. However my viewing was somewhat curtailed at the end of July and the start of August as I was across in Mull for a wee family get-away. I love Mull, a beautiful part of the world with stunning scenery and an incredible amount of birdlife, particularly raptors. My annual hunt for the White Tails ended as the previous year’s exploits had, nothing lol. However, we did get a few pics and a video of a Golden Eagle, which is great. As you can see, the picture isn’t outstanding but just the joy of seeing these wonderful creatures’ makes up for the crappy images.

Anyway, I had a great time in the Western Isles and managed to get a few picks of other birds……… Curlew and Shag

Eider and a couple of Hooded Crows

So; back to the Ericht. I can’t say that I didn’t miss it, even though I love Mull, but I did. It is similar to Mull in the respect that I feel at ease in both locations.

Anyway, I arrived back from Mull on the 3^rd with every intention of getting down the river to see my beavers. However, this was not to be as it was my goddaughter’s birthday. It also turned into quite a wee swally lol. So, on the 4^th I was feeling a bit tender but my day was away to be brightened up considerably. I received a call at 08:30 (ouch) to say that TBSG had successfully captured a beaver at Bamff estate and would I like to come up and see the subsequent procedure? Would I? Hell, yeah!!!! A quick shower, bacon roll and cup of tea later, and I was on my way. I was greeted by the TBSG officer Helen and SBT officer Roisin plus Romaine the vet and his nurse. The barn was set up like a theatre and on the table was this rather large beaver weighing in at 22kg Once the animal was sedated (above pic) bloods were taken for testing. Another thing that was carried out was anal gland secretions, castoreum and faecal samples (see below, Roisin in her element) I must admit that I’m generally quite squeamish when it comes to operations and such like, in fact when my Gill watches all the midwife and nurse documentaries, I bail out to the river or walk the dog. However I found this totally amazing and I was an avid spectator as Romaine and the girls did their stuff. After the procedure the animal was resuscitated and allowed to recover in a pen full of branches, straw and a wee hut for it to hide away if it felt the need. Unfortunately I wasn’t present when the beaver was released back at point of capture but I have been assured that he went back quite happily and there appeared to be no major after-effects after his little adventure. So that was my first operation involving Mr Castor and I concede that I found it enthralling despite my initial fears that I may end up on the floor after having had a faint! 5^th of August. At last, back to the river I love and doing what I really enjoy, watching nature. To say I’d been looking forward to this was a major understatement. I was dying to see the kits, the kingfishers and anything else that the Ericht could offer up. I was accompanied by my Monday buddy Rhona and we were not to be disappointed. A large piece of willow had fallen into the river (not beaver related) and offered a fantastic feeding opportunity for the beaver family. It turned out exactly that way and even I managed to get a few half decent pictures There was a lot of activity and it was a great return to the river after being absent for over a week. 6^th, 7^th and 8^th were pretty much similar evenings with the beavers feeding heavily on the tree until 19:30ish then all would generally go quiet. I think it was the 7^th that I noticed 2 beavers swimming underwater and heading upstream. I decided to follow and see what I could see and sure enough I was lucky enough to watch 2-3 adults/yearlings and the 2 kits feeding and socialising. I waited until after 9 and was totally mesmerised as I saw the whole family of 7 swimming, eating, foraging and just doing what they do, no further than 20ft from me and all in the one area. What a welcome back, loved it. On the 9^th  I took a wee walk through Arblair woods and around Carsie and the Whiteloch with the pup and managed to get a picture of this Roe buck . In the evening I accompanied Perthshire Wildlife guide Daniele on one of her tours. We had a great night as always and we saw plenty of activity from kingfishers, dippers and the beaver. A lovely evening and Daniele’s guests went home happy. On the 12^th I was back down with Rhona and another tour of my own. The group consisted of Shauna and her partner. Again we had a great night with the beavers being out in force yet again as well as the odd kingfisher. On the 14^th I did a tour with John Reynolds and his family. It wasn’t a great night as the wind was very swirly but we did spot a couple of beavers. The best thing about this evening was the discussion I had with John. I asked him if he had ever seen these animals before and he replied “yeah in Canada and oh, I saw one at my front door on the CCTV in January” I had to laugh as John stays 150 ft or so above the river and the beaver on the camera must have been a dispersing 2yr old walking past his front door looking for new territory. The 15^th was another tour with Daniele and this time I only showed them where to sit as I had other business to attend. But me being me I had to go and see how they were getting on. When I got there Daniele informed me they’d seen nothing so far. I thought I’d go and have a wee look around and sure enough, 30yds downstream from where they were was a wee kit feeding merrily on the fallen willow. I went back and got the party but unfortunately the kit had moved on. On the 19^th I was down again with Rhona and a couple from Bolton. We had yet another great night with plenty to see. The kingfishers showed 8 times I think and the beavers were just ripping about good style. Thora and her hubby went away very happy. I wasn’t back again until the 23^rd. It was a funny old night as the beavers had pretty much demolished the lower branches of the fallen willow and were totally obscured from my usual vantage point. However I did manage to get into a position that paid off. As I was sitting quietly, a kit appeared in the middle of the river and slowly floated down towards me, video was on thankfully and the light was favourable. As it floated down the river I could see its nose twitching away until “SPLASH” he spotted/smelt me and produced a wonderful tail splash. See here for the full effect http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-Kr9_ONve0 On Sunday the 25^th I was out for a walk by the river, strange that, I hear you say, but sometimes I like to spend my time there. Anyway, I had just arrived when I got a phone call from a girl and her fiancé from Italy. They were holidaying in the area, had seen my flier and fancied a wee tour. So, we just met up there and then and had a wee tour. Unfortunately it was getting dark but we did see the beasties on numerous occasions and Annette and Giacomo were happy bunnies by the time we left. I sent them beaver pics and links to the SWBG page, SWBG website and my own blog so hopefully they can keep the love going. 26^th was a brilliant night with yet another tour. I had Rhona as my Monday sidekick and our guests were a lovely couple of vets from Kilsyth, Liam and Emily. We had yet again a lot of sightings and I discovered that Liam and Emily often go to see presentations by our beaver vet, Romaine. Small world!!!! 27^th was my last night of the Month by the river. I had a large group down, much larger than I would normally take but my original group of 4 were joined by another lovely couple from Wiltshire, Joanne and her hubby. My original group consisted of 4 from Kirkcaldy, semi professional photographers. When they took their cameras and lenses out of their boot, I almost choked. The equipment they had was pretty impressive stuff and probably worth as much as my car!!! However, they saw absolutely nothing unfortunately. It was the first fresh Easterly we had had for some time and I’m positive that is why we had such a poor showing. However, I had split the group up into 3 groups of 2 and Joanna managed to spot one plus one swimming under water, so all wasn’t lost. Joanna is intending to come back up in the summer for better sightings and I must admit I’m looking forward to seeing them again So that was August, a very busy month and a good few tours under the belt yet again. The love is spreading

JULY ON THE ERICHT By Bob Smith

June was a great viewing month and with the imminent appearance of the kits in July, I was especially looking forward to this month. So how would it pan out? 1^st of July was a lovely evening and pretty typical of the weather we have had through the whole summer. I arrived at the river around 7 and within 5 minutes I was watching an adult (I presumed to be the dad) and one of the yearlings. They socialised for a bit before splitting up and the dad went up the river to return shortly with some cow parsley. I say “some”, it was a huge bail of the stuff! He dipped under the water and went into the lodge entrance. I find it quite amazing how strong these animals are. With the water adding weight to its cargo, the beaver still had no problem pulling it under the water for 30ft or so and into the burrow. The noises emanating from the lodge were delightful, wee squeaks and grunts giving force to the belief that there were kits in residence. Later on I watched the same adult socialising and eating with a yearling and managed to get a wee video of the pair of them. Still no kits though!!!! I popped back on the 3^rd and it was pretty much “groundhog day”. The same scenario with an adult (dad?) coming down the river with feeding and socialising with a couple of yearlings. I saw the mum briefly swimming from one burrow to the next but no sign of any kits. The “runt” was in evidence though, never very far from mum’s coat-tails. Initially I thought it was a “big” kit but on further examination it was confirmed to be the wee yearling. On the 4^th I had another wee tour (I’m getting a lot of people enquiring now about a tour), Claire from the Blairie and her young lad Patrick and a couple from Brighton, Georgina and Mal. Although the sightings were not brilliant, we did however see our quarry and our party went home happy. Young Patrick even asked how he could help within SWBG, its great when they get involved at a young age. The 5^th was a bit disappointing to be honest. I was down with two friends from Bridge of Earn Rhona and Audrey. The wind was a bit swirly and although we did see them, it wasn’t great viewing. However, Rhona did get this cracking picture On the 6^th I had another tour with a lad and his wife from Manchester area, Bill. He has been down to see the beavers before with no luck. Within 20 minutes of us sitting down we had our first showing. There wasn’t actually much more to be honest, it was another swirly wind and I’m sure the beasties smelt us. It was actually quite a rubbish night regarding the weather as well. It was grey and overcast, wind moving from SW to NW continually and I am surprised we saw anything but Bill and his good lady left in great spirits vowing to come back shortly. On the 8^th, the weather had changed for the better and I had heard a report that 2 kits had been spotted the previous evening. So I went down to the river with my pal Rhona in tow. It was a great night. Not only did we see multiple sightings, we also saw a kit. We saw the kingfishers and to top it all, we had a yearling sneak up the bank not 10ft from us. To say it was brilliant is not even touching the truth. A lovely evening. I was back down on the 9^th but no kits unfortunately. However I did get a video or 2 and I watched the kingfishers as well. I even had a wee blackcap sit next to me on the banking, I loved that though I was too frightened to get my camera and scare it away. Instead I just enjoyed and treasured the moment. 10^th…..Ah!!!! The heady heights of fame, SWBG had another wee mention in the Blairie regarding the kids’ prizes for their storyboards, great PR and a big thanks to Claire. On the 11^th I was helping Perthshire Wildlife tours on a beaver watch again. It was a great night. There was still only one kit being spotted though but a lot of adult/yearling movement and appearances. Daniele had a party of 4 with her and they all left very happy as they had all spotted their first wild beaver. These are the moments I really love, just the look of pure delight on people’s faces, it is truly priceless. There was one girl on Daniele’s tour, Treena Beavers (a very apt name for such an avid lover of our furry friends) Treena and her partner had been to Knapdale 4 times and seen nothing before getting in touch with myself about the Ericht beavers. We even had a beaver doing a swim past at Treena’s feet. Great viewing I had another tour on the 12^th with Jane Austin and her friend. It was not a great nights viewing as such but we still got a couple of sightings plus a few glimpses of the kingfishers. I popped down briefly on the 13^th and I managed to get a 90 second clip of a kingfisher, you have no idea how chuffed I was with that one. I managed to see the kit again and a wee video with its mum but still only one kit spotted. Yet another tour materialised on the 15^th. This was with a lovely lady Hillary and her friend. This was a very similar evening to the 12^th with pretty much the same outcome. However I managed to let these ladies see the wonderful beasties and they left very happy. 16^th Woo hoo, finally!!!!!! As you all may be aware I take a rubbish picture (no matter what end of the camera is pointing at me) but tonight I managed to get a half decent picture of a kit. I’m well chuffed. Not only that, I can thankfully confirm there are at least 2 kits. 18^th was a lovely evening. A girl that I had taken down in May Wilma, was on the opposite bank from me. When I had her on one of my tours we saw absolutely nothing and I still feel gutted yet as I don’t like letting people down. However, Wilma got in touch with me this evening and she had seen her first beaver, brilliant and congratulations again Wilma. Personally I had a few sightings myself and I left for home quite pleased. Oh, kingfishers and dippers as well…….Happy days Every now and again a special moment happens in your life, the night of the 22^nd was one such night. I had invited Rhona back up as she had only one sighting of the kits and hadn’t had many photographic opportunities. Well, we sat by the river in a different location than before. We had a few good sightings and Rhona got a few great pics and I got a video or 2. As we were watching the river, I noticed a few ripples at our feet to my right. I nudged Rhona and whispered to her to get her camera ready. Lo and behold…………………….. ……….a wee kit appeared 6ft from us. It was an incredible moment and one that I’ll always treasure. I even managed to get a video (click the link http://youtu.be/mneWCE82jHI)  as well which is a bonus. This was a great night, right up there as one of my top wildlife moments. The 23^rd brought a different bit of joy, the 23 merganser chicks running up the river, going like the clappers lol. I got a decent wee bit of video of them as well. I have a wee chuckle when I think about them. Easily spooked, and when they are spooked, an incredible sight. Watch on this link to get the full picture http://youtu.be/FRdqiTqs4WA On the 25^th, I helped out Daniele again on one of her tours by the river. It was yet another great night with plenty of sightings. Well, that was me for the month of July as I left to go to Mull on the 27^th to see if I could catch a glimpse of the White Tailed Sea Eagles………………………………

JUNE ON THE ERICHT By Bob Smith

So May was a bit of a mixture of sedate Castor watching to frustratingly watching water go by to intense “heart in the mouth” stuff with the otters. What would June bring? Hopefully, hopefully some beaver kits showing their face, but who could tell if they had made it after the intensive otter attention. June the 1^st was “The Big Weekend” in Blairgowrie and SWBG had a stall in the Wellmeadow in Blairgowrie. As you can see, it was well set up and we had a really busy day. We had a lot of interest from the public and I think we handed out around 70 tour info leaflets; I could be very busy shortly!!! After we finished, I thought I’d take a wee turn down by the river in the evening. Knowing the beavers had moved from the maternal lodge, I thought I’d stake out further up stream. When I arrived at my intended stake out spot, I met another avid watcher Now, he is a lovely bloke and has followed the beavers for some time now, morning and night, but he’s loud! I’ve even heard of him described as “The Megaphone” on more than one occasion. This isn’t conducive to being covert and keeping your presence secret. So, I thought I’d try and lure him away back down the river by pointing out a few locations that I’d seen the beasties. By 21:00 I’d managed to get him the ½ mile back down stream beside the maternal lodge. We had a wee blether then parted ways, he does have a lot of information, but he’s loud! Anyway, I headed back up the river to my initial starting point and within 5 minutes was rewarded with a yearling on the South bank chomping away on a branch, tickety-boo. It pays to be quiet. These creatures, though not having brilliant eye sight have very acute hearing and an incredible sense of smell. So if you are venturing to the riverside, bear this in mind as it will increase your chances of sighting these guys and it also, more importantly, doesn’t stress out the animals. And on that note, onto the next two evenings I was down…….. The 3^rd was a bit perplexing due to an individual being down-right insensitive to the safety and stress levels of the beasties. As you are aware, mum has had her kits, moved out of the lodge and is very wary just now and we don’t know for sure, at the time of writing, if any kits have survived to this point. Anyway, this individual was caught snipping branches from the trees and flattening vegetation so he could get a better shot of the beasties. Now, this is NOT good practice as it removes any natural protective screening, is destroying the habitat and actually reduces the chances of seeing these guys. What happens is when they realise that the area in question is frequented by “nasty humans”, they will either avoid it or when passing it, they will swim under water until they have past it or they might move out all together! Over and above the previous reasons, the gentleman was doing this no more than 10 yds from the lodge that mum had moved into. The gentleman was reminded of his duty of care when watching wildlife as his actions may, and will, spoil it for others!!!! The 4^th, same thing but a different theme. I had gone down to the river fairly late and planted myself behind some willow screen, 30yds or so upstream of the lodge. Sure enough as I looked downstream, the bow-wave of an adult beaver was evident, coming right towards me. Unfortunately, my hidey-hole wasn’t great as it only gave me a small window to view the creatures, but for all the reasons mentioned previously, it still gave me the opportunity to see these guys without stressing them out. It was “Jabba”, gently cruising past me, no more than 6ft away, serenely moving up the river, wonderful. I waited until she was far enough up the river before I moved. I thought I’d leapfrog past her to another point that offered a bit more opportunity to video her. As I was gently walking up the path, I could hear her in the undergrowth and I could see the cow parsley moving, splendid I thought, I’ll be able to video her from the path. Just as I was about to press the record button, she jumped straight back into the river, ‘tail splash’ and gone! I initially thought that I had spooked her but then 3 young lads on bikes appeared. She had heard them a good bit away and had warned the clan of danger with the tail splash. I had a quick blether with the guys, and then I sat hopefully for 10-15 minutes or so to see if she would reappear. She did, and with her mate, the two of them carrying materials back down to the lodge. They were a good bit up the river but coming my way. I got ready to press the record button again, but no! Tail splash and gone! What had upset them this time? Then out of the blue, crashing through the undergrowth was a Roe buck. Again, the beavers had heard this long before I had and they had taken the necessary measures to avoid detection. I watched the deer for a wee bit, though I couldn’t really get a decent picture or video of it as it was now getting dark. So a pleasant evening was had albeit with a few “natural” distractions that kept the beavers a bit quiet. Food for thought here, were the two beavers carrying the materials for bedding/feeding the kits? I live in hope J On the 5^th Paul Ramsay and I gave an evening presentation to the community at the Kirkmichael Session House. It was well attended and we had the room set up really well. Paul gave an excellent presentation/talk and it was all well received with a few people interested in visiting the Ericht beavers. We did have one dissenter in the crowd though but Paul handled him brilliantly. Over the next week I was down almost every night and had success at every turn. The kingfishers have fledged and we are usually treated to one or more of these guys zipping up and down the river. On the 13^th, I helped out a local girl that is doing various wildlife walks. We had a party of 4 between us and we were treated to nearly 2 hrs worth of beavers working away around the lodge, bringing in food material and generally floating about and a wee bit of socialising. It’s great that Daniele is doing this sort of thing as it raises the awareness not just of the beavers, but of other wildlife in the area. She does bat watching, squirrels swifts and swallows among other activities. You will find her on facebook under “Perthshire Wildlife” or in the local Tourist Information office if you are interested. On the 14^th I managed to get a wee video of a Roe doe in the undergrowth, beautiful creature. So, the beavers are all looking well and we appear to have picked up an extra yearling! Last year we thought we had lost a 2^nd kit, leaving only two from2012 brood. However, over the end of the winter a very small “runt” like beaver had been briefly spotted. It was only confirmed with a photo that the runt is still with its mum on the 16th. Rhona Forrester supplied the picture and you can certainly see the difference in size. The other yearlings are a lot bigger than this, possibly as much as 25%, however this is still great news. On the 17^th, I was up at Bamff for a bit of beaver watching. Not to be however, not a sausage seen of the beaver variety however we were stalked by the local herd of wild boar. This certainly adds an edge to beaver watching and I must admit, I really enjoyed the spectacle. A tree creeper was also spotted at one of the top ponds, never got a picture though, the little bandit kept disappearing to other side of tree!!! On the 19^th, I was back down on the Ericht, and I finally managed to get a couple of videos on my wee kingfisher. To say I was chuffed is a total understatement. I also got a couple of clips on Jabba as she was moseying about around the lodge. I had a most excellent eveningJ. The 20^th threw up more opportunities of beaver videos and are posted on my blog. Mum seems to be very much on alert; hopefully the kits will appear very soon. On the 22^nd I was down with Rod from Kinrossie. Initially I thought we were going to blank out but no, quite the reverse. There was a real good showing from two, if not three beavers over the evening. Mum was reinforcing a bit of the lodge, a yearling was bringing food to the lodge and there was at least another one on our bank chewing away at branches and vegetation. We were also treated to 23 or so merganser chicks merrily floating by, with one hitching a ride on mums back. We also saw the kingfisher ripping up the river, squeaking as it went. I just love the riversideJ. On the 24^th I was delighted to see the mergansers again. I had to laugh when they all started running on the water at the same time, it was like a tsunami!! The noise was incredible to be honest, and it was brilliant to watch as they all went by. I had a good viewing of the kingfishers again; they have really upped their work rate and can be seen pretty much every night. There were a lot of beaver movements again tonight but not a lot of video opportunities unfortunately, but sightings all the same. I was back down over the next week and again there were plenty of sightings but the 30^th was a great night. I had watched a pair of yearlings in and out of the vegetation for a wee bit before they disappeared into reeds beside the “kit pool”. They then appeared together and I managed to get a great wee clip of them socialising and munching away. To say it has been a busy month is an understatement, but it has also been so rewarding in terms of the nature I have witnessed by the river. Still no kits yet though!!!!!

MAY ON THE ERICHT 2013 by Bob Smith 

As posted on last month’s diary, a decent ending to the month of April, could May be any better? 1^st May turned out to be a fine night. The wind had finally dropped, the sun was out and the air had positive warmth to it. I settled down into my wee “hidey-hole” on the river bank, and within 2 minutes of arriving I was treated to mum (still VERY pregnant) and the two yearlings socialising. They had a wee bit cuddle and a fair bit of feeding. I managed to capture a lot of decent footage as well, but my internet wasn’t working so I couldn’t share it that night. However, I had 30 minutes or so of just watching these guys doing what they do. With it being such a lovely night, the kingfishers were out in force as well, iridescent plumage flashing in the late spring sunlight, truly magicalJ. The 2^nd of May turned up something that still brings a smile to my face. I had a good walk down the river, fairly early, with Coco my dog. To be honest I was not expecting to see too much as the wind was swirling around and I had the dog. However, we stopped for a couple of minutes by the bank only to be treated to a yearling passing us not 6ft away, he slowed as he passed us, went down the river 20 or 30 yds or so, turned around and went up past us again. I have no doubt he knew we were there, but he didn’t seem fazed at all, as he ventured further up the river and starting feeding nonchalantly on the wild garlic on the south bank. The 3^rd was good; I had Riona my youngest and her pal down to the river to see what we could see. Sure enough, 19:30 on the mark, out came the furry beasties. We didn’t stay particularly long, 30 mins or so, but a lot of activity again. Mum is now enormous and we spotted and filmed her clambering up behind the lodge with a yearling. Beavers aren’t the most agile creatures on land but very pregnant females are even less so; and dainty isn’t a word that you would associate with one. One kingfisher spotted as well which is always a bonus. The “Voice” was on the telly on the 4^th, so I knew I wouldn’t be missed, so I popped down to the lodge for a wee bit; it was beaver central!!! Now, we are pretty sure there are only 4 beavers currently at the lodge, the two adults and the two kits from last year, but you could have sworn there were dozens. Lots of activity around the lodge area, but no mum! For the next few nights, other than 1 brief sighting of a slimmer lady, she appears to be holed up with her new charges. Here’s hoping they are all healthy and we have a good 3 or 4. I popped down briefly on the 5^th and met Mr Scott, stayed for 45 mins or so and we were treated to the yearlings ripping about. As I left I spotted dad coming down the river from his summer residence. He crawled up onto the banking and chewed on the garlic leaves for a while. He clambered down the bank and back into the water, and dived. He was like a “ginger torpedo” under the water, magnificent. I even managed to film him under the water (not me personally, just him). On the 6^th, behind the lodge on a waste bit of ground, I am positive that I saw a Hen Harrier being buzzed by a couple of crows. Now that would be brilliant if there was one there, absolutely beautiful birds. I missed going down on the 7^th, as it was my birthday and I had some folks round but I must admit I fair missed the river. The 8^th however was brilliant. I sat for over an hour videoing the two yearlings climbing trees, swimming about and generally having a good old time. My wee kingfisher even made an appearance to make the evening even better. Now, I’m not 100% sure but I think I spotted an otter mooching around the lodge area, just a glimpse though. It could well have been a beaver but I’m not entirely convinced with that either. The tell-tale “ring of bright water” and the trail of bubbles points me to the otter and others have seen it through the week around the area. As Mr Scott pointed out, “Beaver predation”! I’ve seen it once, August last year and I have uploaded a video (missed the otter due to camera not focussing in time, doh!!!). The 9^th was a pretty cold night and I was a lot later getting down, and I never saw a thing. Apparently I just missed the mum herding up the yearlings 5 minutes after I left, typical lol. The 10^th was a truly magical affair; I had arranged to take a couple of locals, Mark and Angie, down to see the beasties. The evening was truly bitter, biting wind and rain. We arrived at a spot just opposite the lodge around 7:30 and settled down to get drookit! Within 5 minutes our furry buddies started to make an appearance, the two yearlings chewing away on their favourite branch. The look on Angie’s face was priceless. Just then, a kingfisher darted down the river complaining bitterly in its shrill squeak about the weather, and Angie’s grin got that wee bit wider. Just then I spotted something leaving our bank and swimming across to the lodge, a wee beaver I thought initially but no, it was a water vole, brilliantJ. About 5 mins later, beavers still feeding away, Angie spotted another “beaver” round the corner, I checked it out with my binoculars and it was an otter. This was great and to see all of these guys on one night was truly special, but things only got better. The otter continued to fish and splash about and occasionally have a look up the river as if he was watching the beavers. Sure enough, 8:00 the beavers started to disperse up the river, and within 2 minutes of this happening not one but two otters made their appearance right outside the lodge. They fished and splashed yards from the lodge, sniffed about the area and generally not making their presence secret at all. It was almost as if once the yearlings had disappeared and there was no sign of dad, they were goading the new mum out of the lodge thus leaving the new babies unprotected. I obviously can’t prove this but the same observations were made last year at the same time of mum delivering the new kits. This activity continued for nearly 30 minutes and then the otters just disappeared, as they do. To say Angie and Mark were chuffed is a major understatement, and I was totally over the moon at our evenings viewing, though we were all frozen to the bone and a bit on the damp side. It was well worth the effort though and we have two new fansJ. I went back down on the 12^th with high hopes, and as so often happens, it never transpired that way. It was very quiet and I only saw a brief glimpse of mum. The 13^th was a night I had been looking forward to for some time; my friend Rhona that I had cancelled a tour with twice was coming up with a couple of her friends. I was also taking the local Countryside Ranger, Daniele down. As we neared the lodge, something was splashing around the upstream entrance, an otter!! We walked on a bit to get downwind of the lodge and met Paul. He told us the otters were going in and out of the lodge; could we be about to witness the otter snatching a beaver kit? Things died down almost immediately, we may have spooked them, and nothing was seen for a good 10 mins or so. Then, sure enough, out came a beaver swimming below the lodge. It was acting very coyly and never really presented itself out in the open. It did go up the banking and was foraging about but not the usual standard of being able to watch them in the open. That was pretty much it for the night and I did leave a wee bit downhearted as I had wanted a decent nights viewing for Rhona and co, But, that’s nature for you! On the 16^th I took a couple from Bankfoot down, Phil and Wilma. Unfortunately the wind was not great and we did not have a very successful evening unfortunately. Again, that’s nature but I don’t like taking people down to see these guys and coming away with nothing. Over the next 10 days or so I was down on the odd occasion. There were not a lot of prolonged sightings around the lodge. Mum seemed happy enough just popping out every 40 minutes or so for a snack then back in to the lodge to tend to the kits. The two yearlings seemed to have split up, one staying beside mum and the lodge and the other further upstream with dad. On the 17^th I received around 26 “Story Boards” from Rattray Primary to judge. These were fantastic pieces of work and all based on a story by SBT, “Oslo the Beaver” and his escapades in his new home, Scotland. It was very difficult to pick the best three never mind a winner, but I eventually picked three with the help of family, SBT, SWBG, SWT and friends. I was kindly donated 3 cuddly toys, 2 beavers and a squirrel to give to the kids. Otters!!!! On the 28^th I met up with Paul by the river for what must be one of the most intense evenings viewing I’ve ever had. Paul had a possible sighting of one of this year’s kits, awesome! However, 5 minutes later two otters were in the lodge mouth, playing aggressively. We waited with baited breath as both of them entered into the lodge. All was quiet for a minute or so, and then a “squeak” was heard and then a fight or struggle broke out just in the burrow entrance. It was definitely an otter but the other entity was unclear. Was it the other otter? Was it a rat? Was it a vole? Or was it a beaver kit!!!? The otter and its foe bolted back out of sight into the lodge. Then 2 minutes later “all hell broke loose” again. One otter was fighting another mammal all the way out to the front of the burrow. It pounced, dragging its prey down, the creature jumped out of the way only to have the otter bear down upon it again. There was another skirmish but the otter did not relent. Then, the prey disappeared under the water, with the otter apparently standing upon it and presumably drowning it! The otter just stood there, checking the area out, and waiting. Then about 90 seconds later, it stuck its head under the water, presumably delivering the coup de gras. He did this on three occasions, apparently ripping at his prey under the water; only looking up to check the coast was clear. Then he just slipped under the water and was away! After much closer inspection of the video and constant replays, frame by frame, and some sharp detective work by Mr Scott, it appears the “prey” was in fact the other otter!!! A few questions raise their heads here. Where were mum and the kits? There had certainly been an adult/yearling beaver spotted 30 yds away 15 minutes prior to the ‘attack’ and a possible sighting of a kit right at the lodge. Had the mum managed to get the kits out in time? Were the otters just playing, as they do? Time will only tell!! I am glad that it wasn’t a kit that had been taken but a bit disappointed at the same time. A video would have been great proof that the beaver do have natural predators in Scotland, and I still believe this is the case. 31^st of May I went for a wander round Darroch wood, an old oak wood that has a beautiful carpet of violet/blue bluebells. It is absolutely gorgeous and if you ever get the chance at this time of year, make the effort to go, as it is sensational. On my walk I was treated to a goshawk ripping through the trees, no chance of a photo as it moved too quick, but very pleasing to see. Later in the evening I took a family of 4 from Nottingham down to the river. I was a bit apprehensive as I was not sure where the beavers would be after the otters had been in the lodge. However we started at the lodge area with no result, not even my kingfisher. We gave it until the back of eight then I took them further up the river to where they had been seen the previous evening. Sure enough, within 10 minutes of us being there, Jabba (the mum, lovingly named by Paul) appeared, apparently from nowhere. She slowly moved down the river 20 yds or so, had a wee feed on an overhanging tree then went onto the banking and had a munch at some vegetation before making her way back towards us. She coasted up the river about 15 yds or so then disappeared in much the same way as she had appeared, silently. I was glad to see that the family managed to get some good photos of her. Shortly after that we were treated to a kingfisherJ, a sandpiper and a redpoll. As we were making our way back to the car I met my mum and dad walking their dog and it was great to see dad out and about. Apparently they are away to the RSPB site at Kinnordy the following day. There are rumours of beavers around that area, but who knows 😉 ? So, in summary, it has been a very pleasing month with lots of sightings of our furry pals. I just hope the kits have fared ok up to this point and are thriving in a burrow somewhere. However, the next two weeks or so will show if they have survived and hopefully we will get lots of pics and videos of this year’s brood. See you at the end of June J

APRIL ON THE ERICHT 2013 by Bob Smith

After a very slow start, the month of April eventually picked up at the end. Although visiting regular over the first 2 weeks, I only saw 2 sightings of a beaver. The lodge is looking more than just a wee bit dishevelled; it looks wrecked with little or no repair being carried out. Trying to find the beaver was becoming a nightmare; plenty of evidence where they had been feeding but generally in different locations, it was an enigma that was ticking me off. However, there were regular sightings of the otters and it was pleasing to note the arrival of the lapwings, oystercatchers and the kingfisher. The fleeting glimpse of these wonderful wee birds always brings a smile to my face. The vibrant colours and the speed these creatures generate always impresses me. Those that know the Ericht will be aware of a small wooden bridge that crosses the lade stream. Upstream from this bridge is where our wee kingfisher is building a nest and you can see him ripping up-and-down the lade stream on a regular basis. On one occasion I was walking across the bridge and nearly had a kingfisher in my right ear!! He was not overly impressed at me being on his flight path, but we both came away uninjured which is the important thing. On the 2^nd of April, SWBG members Paul Scott, Louise Ramsay and I accompanied Pete Wishart MP to a lodge on the Isla. It was the first time that I had met the man but I came away very impressed at his evident interest in our furry friends. He was also quick to realise the benefits of these creatures, not only in their habitat but also as a magnet for eco-tourists. Unfortunately, we never saw our intended prey but we were able to show him a pelt and a few videos. We also showed him where the beavers had been coppicing the trees by the river and the wonderful re-growth that followed. It is good to have ally’s, even better if they are MP’S. On the 6^th I received a call from a couple of lads from Manchester that had spotted my “tour info” on the SWBG website. They drove up on the Saturday morning and I met them on the afternoon. Unfortunately, I had plans that particular evening and couldn’t join them in a stake out. However, I still managed to spend an hour or so with them, showing where recent feeding stations were, the lodge, and likely spots to catch a glimpse of the beaver. I must admit my mind did turn to those lads at 10 o’ clock at night when it was -3 with a biting wind and I was braw and comfy in a pals house enjoying a dram, cheers guys J. I received a text the next morning from Dave to say that they had not seen anything that evening and were heading back to Manchester. I was a wee bit gutted for them but such are the vagaries of wildlife watching, you might not always see what you want, but when you do it makes it all the more special. Dave is planning to return through the summer months with his wife, so hopefully we will be a bit luckier then. This also proves that the beavers ARE a tourist attraction with the benefits of return visits. As the month progressed with no beaver sightings, I did spot an osprey over Tesco car park, every little helps! The sandpipers have returned as well along with the Yellow Hammers. I love these beautiful birds and they remind me of my youth where I used to see them regular on the Almond, “A little bit of butter and no cheese” is their lovely song. As much as I love watching the beaver, I have a real soft spot for the otters. Incredibly beautiful, incredibly lethal! One story that comes to mind is when my family and I were holidaying in Aviemore. My parents popped up for the day and offered to take us all to see the “Dancing Waters” at Kingussie. So, off we went to the show. The theatre was absolutely mobbed with tourists, and we settled down into our seats to enjoy the performance. As it started, my eldest looked at me disapprovingly but held her tongue. She looked at me regularly for about 5 mins or so, but was greeted by me with the finger to the mouth and the “sssshhhhhh” sound. 10 mins went by, but she couldn’t contain herself any longer and she demanded of me, at the top of her voice just as the music died away, “Dad, where are the dancing otters”? To say the auditorium cracked up into laughter is an understatement. Anyway, I digress. I kept up my regular visits to the river with not a lot of reward until the 20^th. I fell in with my cohort Mr Scott and he spotted and pictured a beaver swimming upstream. He also managed to get a pic of the female peeking out of the lodge entrance. I don’t want to sound nasty, but she is a bit on the big side and full of the joys of motherhood. The 21^st was great, I managed to get a couple of video clips, had 4 sightings, saw the otter (briefly), watched the kingfisher and sat and admired a wee flock of around 10 long-tailed tits. The best bit though was sitting across from the lodge and listening to the beavers having a blether for 5 mins or so, it was really lovely and I was well chuffed. I can only assume they were socialising before dad was told to go and get the messages, as no sooner had the blether ended, he was out foraging about for a banana and coal pizza. Lovely J. The 22^nd was a disaster; I took my rucksack, camera, binoculars, apples for bait, etc to a lovely wee position. This is a 20 min walk from the car. I baited where I hoped the beasties would come and had been feeding earlier, set up my tripod and realised I had left my video in the car, DOH! So I stashed my gear, walked back to car, picked up my camcorder, then walked back to hidey-hole only to discover the wind had totally changed direction, and not for the better either! So I packed up my gear and headed back to my car realising I had walked 5 miles and wasted an hour and a half. I drove to another location but the wind was so bad, there were even “white horses” on the river, that I decided to give up after a further 90 mins as I was frozen, so I went and had a pint in my local beside a real coal fire, “every cloud has a silver lining” J . On the 24^th I took a teacher, her grandson and a councillor for a wee tour to see the beasties. The wind wasn’t ideal but we hunkered down opposite the lodge. Sure enough, within 10 minutes or so I spotted a kit from last year underneath the canopy of the lodge. He was being very secretive and never ventured out from below his hiding spot. Not long after that a canoe with a fisherman and a child floated past. I must admit I did think that would be the end of any chance of seeing the beaver for some time. But these wee guys always surprise me, and within 5 minutes or so the young animal was back, feeding below the canopy. Unfortunately a gentleman appeared on the banking with the same intention of viewing the beavers as us, but he stood on top of the flood bank, silhouetted and in clear view of the lodge, with his scent wafting right into the beavers. One lesson I have learned is to try and be as quiet and inconspicuous as possible when watching wildlife and always take into account the wind direction. At this time of year when there is very little cover, you must try even harder to remain unsighted and unscented. Anyway, we cut short our viewing and I showed my wee group an old lodge and various other bits and pieces of beaver activity. I also directed the gentleman to a spot with a bit better natural cover, downwind and out of sight of the lodge. The 26^th of April I took a party of 2, locals this time, to see the beavers. The temperature by the river had dropped considerably and I even had my winter woollies back on thankfully! We were pelted by rain and wind which was very unpleasant but unusually we all had appropriate gear on. Kathleen was well excited when I told her about the otters and kingfishers that frequented the same location as our furry pals. I honestly thought we were in for a blank as we had fishers and dog walkers alike wandering passed us. I must admit, we must have looked a sorry sight, lying hunkered down in among the wild garlic, drookit! However (as he strokes his goatee in a knowing way), we were treated to 2 of last year’s kits having breakfast under the canopy of the lodge. Absolutely fantastic. We were also treated to a couple of flashes of the kingfisher, I love that bird J . A good evening was had by all. Oh, a couple of “yellow linties”, 3 mergansers and a wee flock of blue tits thrown in for the bargain. This is God’s “own land” at times, and I must admit and l honestly feel, humbled and privileged to be here and share these experiences with others. So that was April and hopefully May can be just as rewarding. Mum should be away to have her babies soon if she hasn’t already given birth, so happy days ahead hopefully.

March 2013 March by Bob Smith

“In like a lion, out like a lamb”, or so the saying goes. March month in Tayside was one of the coldest on records, which hasn’t helped me much in spotting beavers. However, I was determined to try and keep a wee diary of any sightings that I had over the month, record what I had seen and report back on the general condition of the animals. My first outing was to a lodge on the Isla, which although there were plenty of signs of feeding, an actual sighting was not forthcoming. On the 7^th, Paul Scott, Tina Ng a Mann and I were due to give a presentation to The Royal School of Dunkeld (140 kids or so). So, before I picked up Paul, I thought I would have a wee excursion down to the Ericht at 06:00 in the morning. It was blooming cold and miserable, slightly raining and not a typical March morning. However it did present my first beaver sighting of the month, an adult swimming quietly up the river, totally unperturbed by the nasty climate. At the sight of it, the weather totally disappeared from my thoughts and I could only think of how fortunate I was to be watching this wonderful creature, back within its native habitat. The 11^th provided me with an unexpected sighting of another native species recently returned; a Sea Eagle perched upon a pylon beside the Isla at Couttie Bridge. Absolutely enormous, stunningly beautiful and possibly the beavers only natural predator besides man, on these Isles! The 12^th threw up a lot more new feeding stations on the Ericht, but again no sightings. However I did have the good luck of being able to watch an otter fishing and feeding, again another beautiful creature. The 18^th was unbelievable as far as the weather was concerned; freezing temperatures, bitter howling gales and heavy snow showers. However, these proved to be fruitful conditions to track and spot my prey. The fact I was camouflaged in 2 inches of snow probably helped, but I was fortunate enough to get 4 sightings of a beaver and the bonus of a water vole. These beautiful wee creatures appear to be making a welcome comeback locally. Whether this has anything to do with the beaver or not is anybody’s guess but I like to believe so. The appearance of the beaver appears to have reduced the number of mink in the surrounding area, and as the Water vole was hunted indiscriminately by said mink, this has given the local population a bit of a reprieve. Anyway, I returned home that night frozen to the bone but a happy man. You would have thought that having almost frozen to death on the banks of the Ericht only a couple of nights previously, when the same conditions presented themselves again on the 20^th I would have stayed indoors. But no! Not me. I could not resist a further few sightings of the beaver. However, this evening was not as profitable and I only had the one brief sighting and a “tail splash”. Still, it was still a sighting which did brighten me up. On the 21^st, I visited 2 lodges, one on the Isla and one on the Ericht. Both of these bore fruits at a relative early point in the evening, 16:30 and 17:45 respectively, so I returned home very chuffed. The 24^th, 25^th and 26^th threw up an interesting wee riddle. On each evening I sat and watched a young otter not 30 yds from the main lodge. It was going in and out of a hole where the beavers had previously had their food raft. One question that instantly hit me was “will this otter have a “go” at any beaver kits”? Last year I managed to watch, and film, an otter attack a couple of young kits that was instantly repelled by mum. Will this happen again? Anyway, only the one evening of the three proved fruitful to see a beaver, the 25^th. Not only did I see the otter and the beaver, but I also saw my first kingfisher this year and a pair of Yellowhammers. It is absolutely wonderful to see nature returning after such an elongated winter. Last year on the 27^th of March, I was sat in the Grassmarket in Edinburgh, with a pint, in 27 deg. So the same day a year on was showing a difference of 28 deg! Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!! Saturday the 30^th brought a call from a lady looking for me to take her and her family on a wee tour. They were up from the Norfolk broads and took great delight and interest in all that I had to show and tell them. However, there were to be no sightings this time although I did have the foresight to take my laptop along. This allowed me to show them videos and pictures of the furry beasties. So to finish off on the last day of the month of March, I ventured out in slightly warmer weather, 2 deg, to see a large adult looking in great nick. My dog and I crouched down and watched it for at least 5 minutes, gracefully moving up the river in no great rush. It was a great end to the month, and hopefully April gets even better.

Bob Smith.