Why badgers are better ...

I have devised a plan to catch the Ouseburn Otter on film - no spider legs or sneaky underwater moves included! I will need 1 x bridge with prominent outcrop that the otter can't resist, 1 x super duper otter seeking infrared camera, 1 x relatively safe (and dry!) spot under said bridge and, most importantly, 1 x unsuspecting Ouseburn Otter. I think this master plan might just work. I have found the bridge with dry spot and prominent outcrop (thanks Bob), the camera is on its way as I type (thanks Cheryl) and the otter is unsuspecting (no thanks to the otter there!). A few days ago myself and Bob (who has the Ouseburn Otter frequenting the bottom of his garden) went on a bridge inspecting frenzy. We came up triumphant. Admittedly this bridge is in the same area that flood waters destroyed the Moultrie but it is far superior. Unless it rains for the biblical 40 days and 40 nights, I am almost certain that my camera will be safe. The 'prominent outcrop' that I keep mentioning is particularly important as it provides an irresistible spot for the Ouseburn Otter to spraint, which it already has on several occassions. For those not in the know, spraint is what we commonly call poo but it is so much more than that! Aside from the usual marking of territory, otter spraint lets other otters know about gender, social status - for example ­if a male is resident in his home range or is just visiting - or if female, whether the otter is ready to mate. In other words, spraint is a really important tool in otter communication and lets other otters know who has been where and how they are doing. Another interesting fact about spraint is that it actually smells quite pleasant! Jasmine tea, mown grass and honey are some of the words used to describe the smell. Anyway, enough about poo!

So yes, the scene is set and the camera will be put in place sometime next week - keep your fingers crossed that the Ouseburn Otter will finally be captured on camera with no water to hide itself and no spiders ruining my shots!

So now I come to why badgers are better. In a nutshell, all this ranting and plan devising above is precisely why I think badgers are better. They stick to the same paths, they squeeze under the same fence nearly every night, a few scattered peanuts and they're yours!! I don't mean to generalise and suggest that all badgers are this easy to win over but this has been my experience so far - much more predicatable than otters! And you would never catch a badger submerging itself in a river and swimming gaily out of sight.