Roe Deer

Of the six species of deer in the UK, only two are native.  The largest, red deer, can be found in herds in Scotland, East Anglia and the far south of England (like the new forest). 
The other, roe deer, are more widespread and live a moor singular existence. Being nocturnal or crepuscular (active at dawn or dusk) they can be hard to see, so it is an impressive sight to find one starting at you from a field of barley in south Abingdon.
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They are suprisingly brave and don't seem to mind people taking photographs of them, but a suddern sound or movement can send them leaping across a field:

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Like red deer, the males have antlers. The lack of them mean this one is probably a female.

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More otter pictures

It's not everyday you seen one of the UK's most elusive and hard to photograph animals, so here is a few more pictures of the three otters seen last week.

Bubbles in the water indicate that there is obviously something big swimming in the river:

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A couple of nimble bodies break the water before diving below:
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Then, possible sensing someone on the bank, the otters show themselves to have a look:

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Otters!!

Otters have featured several times in this blog, whether it is indicting them as the culprit of a crayfish mutilation; hypothesing on five-toe footprints in the snow or analysing the contents of their droppings.
It is one of the new year's resolutions of this blog to try and see an otter in the wild.  Whilst photographing water voles one evening, there was a commotion amongst the nearby mallards and not one, but three otters showed themselves.
Having watched them swimming and diving below the water, two cubs (or puppies or kits depending upon noun preference) obliged for a photograph and stuck their heads above the water - photographs are dark and grainy as a high ISO (3200) and no flash was used. 
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And the mother who could obviously detect my presence on the river bank came for a closer look:.
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Otters are a controversial subject at the moment (although not as much as badgers). Some, like the Environment Agency, view their return as an indication that British rivers are returning to their former health.
Others, having seen rivers adversely affected by poor management, pollution and the introduction of invasive species like the signal crayfish (who eat fish eggs in vast numbers), view  the return of a top predator, which can eat 15% of its own weight each day, as yet another contributer to the decline in numbers of fish and other wildlife, especially aquatic birds.
Yet from conversations I've had alongside the river it transpires there have been otters on the Ock a lot longer than this blog has been in existence, and apparently last year there were three cubs.
So maybe, the Environment Agency's predictions are correct and the river has reached a natural stability, even if some of the damage cannot be undone, and given the otters fondness for crayfish, maybe they can even help the situation.
Two new year's resolutions done (badgers and otters). The next one on the list: a seemingly insignificant, hard to identify and very rare insect.


Update: In an interesting comment below,  Anne says "I've read that otters may keep the numbers of introduced mink down".
The relationship between mink and otters is a somewhat complex subject. Otters can attack and drive mink out their territory, but scats and spraints have been found together, indicating that mink can change their behaviour to avoid the otters.
None the less, mink were once seen on the Ock and as far as I'm aware there haven't been any sightings for a few years. So maybe breeding otters have, as Anne suggests, have had an affect and could be partially responsible for recent water vole resurgence.

Water voles and willow trees

The water vole conservation handbook [1998, Strachan) mentions that 227 different species of plants have been recorded as being eaten by water voles.  The ones that live live along the Ock usually prefer sedge in spring and water crowfoot & arrowhead in summer.
However, a colony found whilst undertaking a BBOWT water vole survey seem to have a predilection for eating willow leaves.
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Maybe it's because there is a lack of sedge in this part of the river due to over the overhanging willow trees, but they certainly have the dexterity for it, as none of fallen off yet.
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If they don't fancy willow, then at least one enterprising water vole has found a way to use a willow branch to get at those hard to reach nettle heads:
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Argumentative water voles

A remarkable weekend watching water voles - baby water voles, tree climbing water voles and as shown in this series of pictures, argumentative water voles (sometimes it's a wonder they ever breed):

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It's good to see water voles have made it into the national press recently, especially when they use the fantastic Terry Whittaker pictures (see blog link on the right):

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1379071/Water-voles-One-Britains-endangered-species-play.html

Thanks to Rachel for providing the link.

Badger census at Wytham Woods

The past week has been the annual badger census at Wytham Woods, where volunteers are are split into groups and allocated a sett, with the objective of counting the number of badgers seen at the same time.
Ours was at the base of a hill - which meant we had a good a view and didn't have to worry about our scent - whilst badgers have bad eye sight, but very good sense of smell.
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We didn't have too wait too long for the first badger, seen trundling in along a well worn path to the set.  Over the next 2.5 hours we had 7 sightings, but only two badgers were seen at the same time as we may have seen the same badger on several occasions.  We were lucky, those who studied a nearby sett didn't see a thing.
Using a compact camera (no shutter) and a high ISO setting to avoid using a flash it was possible to get some photographs (even if they are somewhat grainy) without disturbing the badger
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There are about 250 badgers at Wytham in a multitude of setts, so this census gives the public an opportunity to see the badgers and learn more about them and for the researchers to understand the badger activity at individual sets - which sets have increasing and decreasing populations, allowing them to focus their research.

None of the badgers at Wytham have BovineTB (they  are tested four times a year) but the biggest affect on mortality on these badgers is cars - the A45 and the A420 run nearby.
Fighting amongst the badgers can how long they live as many die from wounds infected wounds which occurred whilst fighting.
Last years harsh winter has affected last years cubs and this years very dry spring has made it a lot harder for them to find their favourite foods - snails, slugs and particularly earth worms.


As a result, the average life span of a badger at Wytham is four years, the same as a great tit.

Low flying vultures!!

There are not many places in the English countryside where you have to duck to avoid being hit in the head by a low flying vulture, but Andover in Hampshire is just such a place, as it is home to the Hawk Conservancy Trust and is a very entertaining place to visit on a long bank holiday weekend.
During the summer they have three flying demonstrations, including 'Valley of the Eagles', which includes a low flying display by a flock of hooded vultures:
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Through using these displays the trust is bringing attention to the huge worldwide decline in vultures, especially the Oriental White Backed Vulture that has suffered a 97% population decline since the 1990's due to the anti-worming drug diclofenac making cattle corpses toxic.
At another flying display there was a chance to see barn owls up close, a bird I have only managed to glimpse on the north Norfolk coast and at Otmoor.  
British birds of prey are also suffering, mostly due to habitat loss and as well as nurturing damaged and sick birds, they have a fund-a-bird scheme, with the view to increase the number of artificial nesting boxes.
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The star of the 'Woodland Owls and Hawks'  was Nigel, the white faced scops owl:
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The trust is certainly providing an entertaining and educational day as well as assisting in reducing the world wide decline in birds of prey,  but there is also a somewhat melancholic sight, to see what is probably Britain's most magnificent bird - the white tailed sea eagle - in an enclosure.
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Dandelions

Maybe it is because they are so common or most of us view them as weeds but It is unlikely that people will travel miles to see them and it is even more unlikely that the Daily Telegraph will write an article on the best british dandelion fields.

Which is shame, as the ladygrove fields and meadows have been a sea of yellow and is now becoming a sea of white as the flowers turn to seed:

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Their attractive flower, is actually made up of hundreds of very small flowers (called a florets):

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Eventually it becomes perhaps one of the most entertaining of plants (after the insectivorous) as flower turns into seed which are then dispersed upon the wind:

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Dandelions are not just common to the UK and Europe, but can be found naturally in North America and Mike has some great macro shots of Dandelions on his Slugyard blog:

http://slugyard.com/2011/04/flowers-for-flies/