River suir June 2013

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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