Summary of results.
Congratulations and thanks to all who took part in this year’s 2 Day Survey- some of you having been active for many years. Especial mention for long service and massive contribution must go to Cle Boyd, a founder member of the Somerset Otter Group, who finally handed over her sites this year at rather more than 90 years of age.
The results were reassuringly normal, after last year’s incessant flooding; 64 otters located, with 3 otters known about under the category of Reasonable Suspicion – 67 in total. Our average over the years is 66. So a full house across the County, with only 9 patches blank, as opposed to 15 last year, back to the ongoing average (8 blanks).
More patches covered this year, 143, which contained 564 sites, 390 of which were positive (69%). 114, 2nd day hits is 29% of these positive sites. This sort of percentage indicates that the others use on average about 1/3rd of their range in one night, as we have calculated in previous years.
The By Catch was informative, too. Only 8 Dippers recorded; these water dependent birds are much restricted compared with the early surveys. 5 Kingfishers only- we would have expected more. Only 1 person recorded Water Voles, but mink evidence was found at 10 places. And lucky Dion Warner watched 2 otters.
