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.

One in a Million

Did I ever tell you about my amazing wildlife filming experience? One that didn't involve otters or falling into a smelly river? Well, I was lucky enough to go on a Wildlife Filming Course in Bristol last weekend and rub shoulders with the creme de la creme of those in the industry. I got to meet, work with and be tutored by the likes of John Waters, Sarah Pitt and Rob Harrington. For those of you not in the know (oh what an expert I have become!), these guys are good. Really really really good. For example, John's amazing camera work appears on David Attenborough's Planet Earth and the Life Of Birds while producer Sarah Pitt spent a year filming on the Prince of Wales' estate in Gloucestershire. But enough with the gushing. Lets get down to filming business!

Besides staying on a gorgeous 250 acre reserve and feasting on organic food at Folly Farm (owned by the Avon Wildlife Trust) I got to make a real-life wildlife film. Over two days we filmed thousands of starlings swarming on the Somerset Levels and the wildfowl on Chew Valley Lake. We then had the ominous task of editing our footage into a 3 minute film. Sounds easy. Trust me it wasn't. It took us 6 hours to edit about four hours of footage and even then, we could have done with a lot longer (and we had an expert with us!). And don't even get me started on the cameras. They were amazing. Amazingly expensive. Although I don't think WildPlaces will be blowing it's budget on one camera, it was really great to be able to use such a high tech, high definition camera (not that I don't love using the cameras that I already have). I had serious camera envy all weekend. Oh what a geek I'm turning into!

So folks, crank up the volume (it's a 'mood piece' with lovely classical music don't you know!) and enjoy my debut into the wildlife filmmaking world - One in a Million.

My film will appear here once I figure out (or more likely David figures out!) how to get it on here. The delay will be worth the wait though (maybe).

Heres the rough and tough Derwenthaugh otters (looking surprisingly cute - I love the paw tapping action) to whet your appetite.

Guess the Ouseburn Otter didn't get to them after all, or maybe they just missed the comfort of their floating pontoon too much to care. Either way, I got the footage, so I'm happy.

So yes, that weekend was great. I learnt all about the process of film making from conception to completion (the cliches are just rolling off my tongue here), I got to see the spectacle of starlings flocking and I got inspired to buy a tripod. A good weekend all in all.

One last trick up my sleeve

So I braved checking the cameras at last and (I bet you can guess whats coming), I found a lovely selection of otter bum. Time to bring out the big guns. I have a trick up my sleeve. Oh yes, I do. This trick is more commonly known (to the camera aficionado) as the Reconyx Rapid Fire High Output Covert Colour IR RC60HO. It doesn't miss a thing. Up until now, I have put off using this particular camera in my hunt for the otter as it takes only photographs and since I was desperate for video footage of the Ouseburn Otter, I didn't think it was worth putting it out. I also didn't think that getting said footage would be so darn difficult! I have become so beaten down by this otter, that I will now settle for a mere photograph! There will of course still be a video-taking camera rolling in the background as I'm not one to miss an opportunity and what better way to stick it to the Ouseburn Otter than to get a video AND a picture of him. I can't wait.

Thanks to those of you who have emailed in asking about the Ouseburn Otter and promising to keep an eye out for him - I guess braving the conker fall-out was worth it after all. I'm expecting big things.

In other camera news, I have been filming an acrobatic hedgehog in Fenham who has shown a lot more willing than the Ouseburn Otter. It is a bit of a bully (and a little dim it must be said) and seems to love the limelight (shoving those out of the way that dare to take his place) - the perfect candidate for a WildPlaces star in the making. I'm already looking forward to the Spring when DaveCam will be back up, hopefully catching the bully's offspring in action.

Along the Derwent Haugh, cameras are also lurking, poised to capture the antics of a few cheeky otters using a pontoon as their plaything. The pontoon is quite high up off the water (in otter terms that is) so I'm expecting some pretty spectacular otter gymnastics - who knew an otter could climb a ladder, or possibly shoot straight up and out of the water (like a seal, so I guess thats not entirely out of the question) or maybe they are using each other as a live otter ladder. Who knows. I can't wait to find out though.

Fingers crossed that this last trick up my sleeve will prove to be just what the otter ordered and I will have the naughty, naughty critter on film once and for all.