Otters in the Park
by Ian Bushell.
“In April, looking along the banks of the Lambrok Stream, I found this little pile of broken mussel shells. Judging by their state, they must have been there some time.”
“Interesting; the only animal I could think of that feeds on mussels is an otter. I had seen one in the River Biss earlier that year, and they do travel good distances.
Later that month in the same area, I came across this fresh broken shell. Was it possible that an Otter had recently been feeding in the stream? Is the paw print next to it a dog or an otter?”
“I kept looking in the stream. As it warmed up in May I found the first live mussels. Further searching found this empty shell. I was disappointed that such a big specimen was not alive.”
“I sent pictures of the shells and details to a friend at the Natural History Museum, who confirmed it was a swan mussel. I sent pictures of the paw print to an expert and he confirmed that it was not a dog but an otter.”
“I kept looking along the stream, now getting my eye in, and began to find a lot more mussels and, even better, they were alive. This was the largest live one I found and is probably about 60 years old.
Overall a good result, confirming for our Fauna & Flora Census that swan mussels are present, and that otters visit the site.”
Pictures:
Ian Bushell
google images
Southwick Country Park Nature Reserve 