The Stour Valley list for 2019 stands at 131 species so far.
April 14th
Otters in the Stour Valley
This morning whilst on the Lampen wall just after Basil's Bench in the old 'Jungle' area which has now been cleared of scrub and the dykes widened, we were watching 3 Drake Garganey sleeping on a muddy island where the reeds had been cleared. A ripple in the water to our left caught my attention and upon looking over came face to face with two stunning Otters that showed in front of us for 3-5 minutes interacting with each other before turning back and disappearing round a bend in the dyke. In this time and, although the light was low, Chiddy managed to run off a few snaps of these wonderful creatures while they played. Soon after this we got the news of the Red-rumped Swallow just 200yards away and the rest you know! The three of us, Sue Morton, Mark Chidwick and myself feel extremely privileged to have witnessed these superb mammals and, also a Beaver at the Grove end before 6.00am from the Ramp. An excellent day. Here are Marks photos, best viewed large;
