River survey for Trail Camera locations

Pools and falls in a defile at about 250 metres

I've been planning a camera survey of a mountain river bordered by a mix of farm land, forestry plantations and open hill. Yesterday I spent several hours in its middle section, looking for camera locations.

The river rises on the hill at a little over 400 meters, crosses the forest boundary at 300 meters and runs into the main river at 100 meters above sea level.

A number of tributaries and flushes increase its volume as it travels through a series of defiles, ravines, small oxbows and waterfalls.

The banks have, among others, a flora of Heath, Grass, Bilberry, Birch, Rowan, Scots Pine, Larch, Alder and away from the banks are plantations of Scots Pine, Larch, Norway and Sitka Spruce; with rough grassland at the river's lower end.

A pool at the bottom of a small rapid with what might
be an otter trail going down the bank to the water's edge

A well used deer trail parallels the river for most of its middle section with other trails going to river
crossings as well as in and out of the forest. In various places trees have fallen across the river which make potential crossings for cats and mustelids; and in one place a trail which looked typical of Otter going down into a pool.

I've recently had cameras out near the lower, middle section of the river and recorded Badger, Pine Marten, Red Squirrel, Red Deer, Roe Deer, Buzzard, Jays and Hooded Crows.

I now plan to trap the whole section over the next three to four months, ever hoping to find evidence of the elusive Scottish Wildcat or as it is often referred to these days, the Highland Tiger.

Muddy prints

Returned the trail camera to the Badger set this afternoon and checked the holes for activity.

All had sandy tracks on thawed and crusted snow.

There were Pine Marten tracks to the feeder not far from the sett and the feeder was empty so I gave it a refill. It's being used by Great Tits, Blue Tits, Wood mice and Pine Marten for certain but I've so far no evidence that Squirrels have visited, although there is some evidence of gnawing on one corner of the lid.
We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Badger Tracks

I came upon these Badger tracks a couple of
days ago and followed them into the forest for
some way before they eventually led me to a
single hole which I didn't know about.

From its appearance I wouldn't have judged the hole to be in use, had the tracks not taken me to it. The placement of the footprints suggest that the Badger was moving fast so maybe it had been spooked and was desperate to get underground.