Otters

Excellent talk last night on otters by Emma Broad, Wrexham County Borough Biodiversity Officer. Otters are good because they drive out mink, and although they do take the odd water vole, they don't wipe out whole colonies like female mink do. It was great to hear how they'd recovered in the UK after almost disappearing due to pollution (hunting didn't help, either). It gives me hope for the water vole situation.
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I include this photo of otter spraint I found last summer in Whitchurch Country Park. Definitely otter because it smelt vaguely fishy and almost fragrant, not foul like mink scat. I'll be looking out for more this year. Didn't know this before Emma's talk, but if you find a dead otter on the road, you should always report it.
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The brook outside Tesco is currently clear of trolleys; the one pictured below was removed within a day or so. I don't know whether this is due to better management, or the fact that these new locking-wheel ones are much more expensive and therefore can't be left to rot. Still waiting to speak to the manager about it.