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Beautiful autumnal skies greeted the walkers participating in the Carlow Walking Festival in Borris as we ambled along the 6km Barrow walk, guided by Una Halpin of Wildways Adventures. We all received fantastic autumnal ID guides and we and scrutinised the verges of the tow path for seasonal flora and fauna. Sloes, Blackberries and the invasive Himalayan were all spotted as well a Comma, Polygonia c-album, warming its delicate wings on a rock.
My second walk on Sunday was guided by Mary White of Blackstairs Ecotrails through the best Beech Scott's pine wood in Carlow . as we walked, our guides told us about healing properties Herb Robert and the now banned St. John's wort. Female holly plants were sagging with bwerries We learnt about how black napweed pollen attracts butterflies and bees,herbalists use black beret mends trouble with the water as well as how to make Gorse flower icecream Infuse in water Of the most intreset wzsd the rray of fungi. In Ireland we have 33 butterfly's species 127 breeding bird secies 800 wild plants Over 4000 and growing fungus Next up is Carlow is Oak Park Forrest Park.
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 Nestled amongst the Knockmealsown and Comeragh mountains the river Suir river overflows with wildness. The river slinks along its green weedy bed with lazy grace. The fly fisherman wade into its shallow depths, and immerses himself in this wildness to stalkrising trout. Bright twigs float by; casual journeymen Swans and signets glide across the water and run the small weir one by one like a waterpark ride. A male swan sits nonchalantly on a risen bank and preens his already immaculate feathers. A heron waits on a shallow stretch for a morsel. And then that dash of blue which is the kingfisher, a bird that waits for no man, the best dressed of the wild. The kingfisher always makes me smile. Nervous duckilings like little gold, wind up toys follow their parents to safe waters At night bats fly around your head. Small and exact in their manoevering they ingest the multitude of inse.cts from that fill the night air. The thrum of their wings fills the ear as they rush by, eager and hungry. The main prupose of a night visit is to search for the elusive river otter. As yet no signs of sprait of the otter; no trace of a holt to this eye.. So here are the fieldcraft tips for spotting otters. I hope you have some luck Fieldcraft How to detect an otter 1. Paw prints - 5 toes- teardrop shape 5cm 2. Holts in banks 3. Smell from spraint [ smells like jasmin tea ) 4. Prey marks. - Crayfish,crab single hole in it, leave tail of rat 6. Dog otter is territorial in large area. Has a number of females. 7. Otter hole in root system of tree every 200 m 8. To see an otter watch out for wind direction so they don't mell yo - wind direction off otter and blowing into your face Species identified * Grey squirrel * Kingfisher * Moorhen * Foxes { night mode!) * Heron * Swan * Trout * Dragonfly * Daddy long legs Below are what otter prints look like and what a holt could look like.
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