Possibly the greatest ear tufts in the world!

I have given up on the hunt of the Ouseburn Otter for now. As it's the season of goodwill and all (any excuse will do), I thought I would give him a break from my relentless tirade against him. Instead I am going after those reds. They're small and furry and cute and, most importantly, hungry. What better way to get footage of a hungry nutaholic than set up camp next to the squirrel feeders at Plessey Woods Country Park. Like the cameras or not, squirrels must eat and a feeder presents a super easy meal (ticket) for all. And things have actually worked out for me on this one.

For once, I have no stories of falling in rivers, getting battered by conkers or being eluded by otters. Just good 'ole footage, which, at the end of the day, is all I really ask for. The frozen toes and lumpy head are just the perks of the job.

But my favourite squirrel shot has got to be this next one. If Carlsberg made squirrel tufts, then this little champ is definitely sporting them. The tufts, my friend, really are blowing in the wind.

A crimi-otter has been caught!

Breaking News. Breaking News. Breaking News. Breaking News.

The rain has stopped and he has been apprehended. The scoundrel of the Ouseburn has been caught on film!

Who gets the reward? I do. Oh yes. Fame, glory and satisfaction are mine all mine.

I know I said that I would settle for a photograph rather than a film of the Ugly Mug of the river but I can't help but feel slightly cheated. What I can't understand is why the camera under the bridge (the filming sort) didn't trigger when you can blatantly see the little critter in front of it. Black otter magic has dealt its cunning card once again. I must admit that I did get a couple of tail shots and one in which the otter sped by in super quick motion but I was so enraged with the unfairness of it all that I swiftly deleted the shots (only to be consumed by regret seconds later - I blame Ugly Mug of course). So yes, I have three photos of the Ouseburn Otter and I should be grateful. But I'm not.

See the camera? Can you see the camera? So annoying. So very annoying. At least the Reconyx RapidFire did it's job right at least once (good camera by the way, the otter is just crafty). This isn't the end of it by any means. I still have the underwater camera to fall back on and I still have a heck of a big stubborn streak.