Standing in the footsteps of Dinosaurs

Most wildlife enthusiasts visit the Isle of Wight to see Red Squirrels (as this blog did back in 2011: http://viewsoftheock.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/tale-of-two-squirrels.html) an animal that is almost extinct in most parts of the UK.
But in autumn last year we visited with the intention of finding signs of an animal that became extinct 120 million years ago - dinosaurs.
Back then the Isle of Wight was part of a large river complex  of rivers, swamps and ponds that stretched from the south of England through northern Europe, where over 20 species of dinosaur lived, mated and died and over time the swamps turned to rocks and the rocks became cliffs and the dinosaur bones turned to stone. Like this iguanodon  foot sited in the Dinosaur Isle museum:
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But it's not only bones that become fossilised, buy on occasion the dinosaur's footprints do as well, like these at Hanover Point on the island's south coast.

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The three toed footprint matching the remains of the iguanodon which was found nearby.
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The footprints fossils were formed by the imprint of the dinosaur foot being filled with mud and sediment, this gradually tuned to white rock sandstone and formed the distinctive cast while the rest of the stone was eroded.
Although some aren't as obvious as others:

It's not just dinosaurs that have left their mark on the beeches of the Isle of Wight, there are countless fossilised shells:
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And even fossilised wood, from the time when the area was covered in forests - perhaps even browsed upon by the same animals which left these footprints.
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After the rain

After the midweek rain, the river levels have once again risen, yet it does not look like it will burst it's banks this time.

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A weekend walk reveals more partially eaten muscle shells.

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Just further along is evidence of what may be the culprit, a fresh otter spraint (possibly less than 12 hours old) on a part of the river I haven't previously found signs of otter activity. Maybe the higher water level has made this part of the river more attractive to the otter.

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Whilst the high water level may be good for otters, it maybe not such good news for the water voles, causing them to drown as their form territory at what should be the start of their breeding season.

But there are at least signs that some may have survived the winter, what looks like a burrow, filled with their distinctive feeding signs

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Return to the River

When we think of ground breaking wildlife documentaries we probably think of exotic locations and animals, like snow leopards hunting in the mountains of Pakistan, or killer whales hunting seals in Patagonia or even giant centipedes catching bats in caves in the Amazon - so it is somewhat of surprise to that wildlife behaviour possibly never recorded before has been filmed on the river Ock here in Abingdon.

Filmmaker Stephen De Vere – who has filmed sequences for the BBC’s Life of Birds, Life in the Freezer, Africa and most recently the sparrowhawk sequence in The Hunt - has spent the past few years filming and documenting the wildlife in English rivers for his film ‘Return to the River’.

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(c) Stephen De Vere

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It might not have the cinematic scale of the recent BBC wildlife documentaries, but it does provide a more personal insight into our rivers and by returning to the same spot several times he documents the changes in the river and the behaviours of the animals - it seems he is revisiting old friends as he reveals their secret worlds.

Whilst the kingfisher and otter footage is sublime, it was not filmed in the area, it is another charismatic animal – the water vole -  that was filmed on the Ock.

Charting their behaviour, from their first emergence in spring and the establishment of their breeding territories, to seeking out new food sources and avoiding predators – by climbing trees and it is this seldom seen behaviour that has possibly never filmed before.
This was originally recorded in this blog (even if the camera work is somewhat shoddy and there is the everpresent incessant drone of the A34) and even inspired Stephen to seek out the water voles on the Ock (I even get a credit at the end of the film).
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It is Stephen's determination, creativity and professionalism that has exceeded anything recorded in this blog and the way he has captured their behaviour which makes these shy, endearing and now unfortunately very rare creatures the stars of the film.

For anyone with an interest in river wildlife, this film is highly recommended and not just because a leading wildlife cameraman has chosen to film on our local river.

More information on this and Stephen’s other film ‘Through the Garden Gate’ can be found at: http://britishnaturefilms.com/films/

And Stephen is also on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Stephen_deVere