Ray Collier Country Diary - Otter tracks
Otter tracks- 7th January 2008
In summer, Loch Farr, that lies a few miles south of Inverness, is vibrant with wildlife such as fish, birds, mammals and amphibians. The richness is partly because of the very large numbers of smallish brown trout and partly because of the aquatic plant life. The loch is comparatively shallow so the aquatic plants grow almost all over the loch and these support very large numbers of insects. The insects attract large numbers of birds and the fish that seem constantly rising to them. On a calm day, with the trout rising and toads and palmate newts coming up for air, the water seems teeming with life. In contrast at this time of the year the loch appears lifeless as if stopped in time and yet the wildlife itself must still be there.
The changes for wildlife to winter starts in the late autumn when the yellow fringe to the loch is larch trees needles that have changed colour before being shed. The changes are brought about mainly by the length of daylight hours and temperature and whilst some wildlife leaves the water others stay and survive as best they can. The brown trout lies near the bottom for the winter and it just slows down some of its body functions so that it does not need to eat although just occasionally it may feed on whatever it can find. This makes the fish sluggish and no doubt makes it easier for otters, that have no choice about winter feeding, to catch them. The otters are secretive but tracks in the sand give them away. By the end of the winter the brown trout are very thin and so much so that many anglers do not fish until well into the season to give the fish a chance to feed up.
The very large numbers of toads in Loch Farr simply leave the water and hibernate on land in a variety of places. Normally they all move to roughly the same area but at Loch Farr the toads are so widespread they appear to spend the winter virtually all around the loch. Holes in the ground, cracks in peat and under stones are used and in some places such as sand or loose soil they may even bury themselves. The reason toads leave the water is that they have to come to the surface to breathe and if the water was to ice over they may well suffocate. Unfortunately, at the west end of Loch Farr there is a short stretch of road and some of the toads move across it to their hibernating place. The movement in the autumn is staggered so few toads get run over but in the spring if the conditions are right such as a sudden warm night with rain hundreds of toads may be on the move. One year well over 200 toads were run over in the space of two nights.
In contrast frogs can breathe in oxygen through their skin and extract it from water so they do not have the need to keep going to the surface. Therefore many choose to stay in the water to hibernate although they move to land via feeder burns if the water freezes too much. The palmate newts also leave the loch and hibernate under stones or in crevices and sometimes many hibernate together in a communal place. So the wildlife is still there, whether in the water or on land, although unseen to our eyes. It is all waiting for the longer days and increasing temperatures and then the life cycle will start all over again and the loch will be vibrant once more.
In summer, Loch Farr, that lies a few miles south of Inverness, is vibrant with wildlife such as fish, birds, mammals and amphibians. The richness is partly because of the very large numbers of smallish brown trout and partly because of the aquatic plant life. The loch is comparatively shallow so the aquatic plants grow almost all over the loch and these support very large numbers of insects. The insects attract large numbers of birds and the fish that seem constantly rising to them. On a calm day, with the trout rising and toads and palmate newts coming up for air, the water seems teeming with life. In contrast at this time of the year the loch appears lifeless as if stopped in time and yet the wildlife itself must still be there.
The changes for wildlife to winter starts in the late autumn when the yellow fringe to the loch is larch trees needles that have changed colour before being shed. The changes are brought about mainly by the length of daylight hours and temperature and whilst some wildlife leaves the water others stay and survive as best they can. The brown trout lies near the bottom for the winter and it just slows down some of its body functions so that it does not need to eat although just occasionally it may feed on whatever it can find. This makes the fish sluggish and no doubt makes it easier for otters, that have no choice about winter feeding, to catch them. The otters are secretive but tracks in the sand give them away. By the end of the winter the brown trout are very thin and so much so that many anglers do not fish until well into the season to give the fish a chance to feed up.
The very large numbers of toads in Loch Farr simply leave the water and hibernate on land in a variety of places. Normally they all move to roughly the same area but at Loch Farr the toads are so widespread they appear to spend the winter virtually all around the loch. Holes in the ground, cracks in peat and under stones are used and in some places such as sand or loose soil they may even bury themselves. The reason toads leave the water is that they have to come to the surface to breathe and if the water was to ice over they may well suffocate. Unfortunately, at the west end of Loch Farr there is a short stretch of road and some of the toads move across it to their hibernating place. The movement in the autumn is staggered so few toads get run over but in the spring if the conditions are right such as a sudden warm night with rain hundreds of toads may be on the move. One year well over 200 toads were run over in the space of two nights.
In contrast frogs can breathe in oxygen through their skin and extract it from water so they do not have the need to keep going to the surface. Therefore many choose to stay in the water to hibernate although they move to land via feeder burns if the water freezes too much. The palmate newts also leave the loch and hibernate under stones or in crevices and sometimes many hibernate together in a communal place. So the wildlife is still there, whether in the water or on land, although unseen to our eyes. It is all waiting for the longer days and increasing temperatures and then the life cycle will start all over again and the loch will be vibrant once more.
posted by Corinne @ 11:07 AM
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