Sign 9: A Closer Look ….

In The Water

An Otter was first seen a few years ago just downstream from this sign and beside the path along the river. Their presence was later confirmed with their footprints  appearing on a raft placed to check the presence of Mink.  However the presence of otter has not been noted for sometime and a survey is needed as they tend to be very hard to find, especially in the daytime. 

In the meantime however,  there seem to be no Mink around so we hope that Water vole will spread back  into our river. 

Local Birds

The trees around this area and towards the rustic bridge are good for seeing and hearing thrushes, in particular Song thrush, Mistle thrush and in the winter, Redwing. 

However, another thrush, the Black bird, which used to be abundant has now declined to a worrying level