An otter, CountryFile and those St Nix frogs

The hunt has officially begun. Against my better judgement I have resurrected the search for the Ouseburn Otter. Last week, I set two of my new ProwlerHD cameras up along the banks of the Ouseburn at Bob's, pointing directly onto the wall where the sneaky beggar sprainted last week. I will catch him this time. And do you know why? Today I am moving further upstream and setting up yet more cameras to catch the little blighter. He can't swim underwater forever and he can't always dodge my cameras. I plan to strategically position the camera upstream so that as he ducks under to miss my first batch of stealth cams, he will pop up from under the water, all self-satisfied and superior (or so he thinks), only to be hit - BAM! - by the gentle infrared glow of Prowler HD number 3. I'm not entirely sure that this plan will work as he's outsmarted me many many times but anything is worth a try, right? Right?! Here's a reminder of the King of the Flood, the Goose-Footed Prowler (in Bob's immortal words), the Conniving Trickster (in mine).

So, did you all watch Countryfile on Sunday (25th April)? If not, check it out on BBC iPlayer as it was really great to see the wildlife of the north east showcased as it was, and of course to see the wonderful Bob that I am always banging on about. If, like many of the people that have been emailing me, you have been inspired to purchase your own trail camera (or if you live in the North East, WildPlaces is always happy to share), then check out http://www.scottcountry.co.uk/news_detail.asp?newsID=1008&link=head for details on many of the trail cameras on the market along with a handy 'how to' guide. I must point out now that I am an impartial writer here and am not favouring one company over the other - the people at Scott Country were kind enough to provide this information for the blog so I have put it up here. I may, however, be persuaded to be a little more partial to a particular place and/or company were that particular place and/or company do a little charity work and donate a few trail cameras to the project or, at the very least, sponsor me to do the Big Slide over the River Tyne (hint hint!). I must also point out that this is a light hearted blog and blackmail, corruption and/or bribery is not permitted. Thanks anyway, Scott Country for providing the info, I'm sure a lot of wildlife enthusiasts will find it super helpful.

Remember I mentioned the superhero assistant Paul? Well, he has been working on a lovely froggy video of the pond here at St Nicholas Park. It was amazing how many frogs you can fit into one relatively small pond and we all enjoyed watching their antics (not in a rude way of course). So now, for your viewing pleasure, I present the Frogs of St Nix. Bravo. Bravo.

Ooooh and since we are on the subject of frogs, I feel it is time for a little bit of education. Here we go.

Do you know the difference between a frog and a toad? And before I dive in and give you all the answers, I must thank Steve Lowe at the Northumberland Wildlife Trust for his spiffing amphibian training he delivered the other day and thus providing most of what I am now going to tell you ....

So, lets start with our little froggy counterparts

Smooth skin - check. Pointed snout - check. Brown patch behind the eye (for the common frog) - check. Barring on hind legs;ie stripey legs (common frog again) - check. Spawn laid in clumps - check.

And Mr Toad, well he (or she, i'm no sexist) has ....

warty skin, a copper coloured iris and a horizontally split pupil. And guess what, they lay their spawn in clumps rather than strings (or necklaces if you prefer), which you would know had you watched Paul's video.

But, perhaps the most obvious difference between the two (and the best I think) is that frogs JUMP while toads can only CRAWL. You do of course have to have them out of the water to see this but its a good difference between the two. Not that you should fish these poor amphibians out of the water in order to see them go - don't do it.

Oh, and have a happy happy bank holiday everyone - good times.