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Otters Christmas dinner.

C

Chris Guy

Senior Member
I've had a few sessions on the Ivel if late, never an overly productive river, though patience is usually rewarded. I've had some quality roach and chub recently. Of the last four chub, two have had obviously had narrow escapes.
Otters have also been munching the crayfish to such an extent that I've not had swung one in for a couple of seasons. Today I came across the spraint of an otter which had been enjoying duck for its dinner.
There wasn't any evidence of fish or crayfish having been consumed, just small under feathers and chomped quills of said feathers.
In the late spring and early summer, many of swans young broods go AWOL. Sadly we know what generally happens to them.
IMG_20201217_142105226.jpgIMG_20201229_141258978.jpgIMG_20201229_122305917.jpg
 
Few years back I had about half a dozen Chub from a swim and each one had the nipped tail and like pin marks on rear of the flanks.

It’s probably worth saying with the young Swans they do also and possibly more commonly get murdered by the Cobb swans, brutal thing to watch that.

That first Chub doesn’t look very healthy, it’s very slim, especially for this time of year.
 
Stephen Crowhurst said:
Few years back I had about half a dozen Chub from a swim and each one had the nipped tail and like pin marks on rear of the flanks.

It’s probably worth saying with the young Swans they do also and possibly more commonly get murdered by the Cobb swans, brutal thing to watch that.

That first Chub doesn’t look very healthy, it’s very slim, especially for this time of year.
Click to expand...
The cobb swans only attack the young ones when it's time for them to make their own way. When the signets are only a month or two old, the cobb will defend them vigorously.
Yeah, that chub really doesn't look in great shape.
 
Quite surprising what Otters will eat, which includes Rabbits too, then again it’s an opportunist predator.

Also just about the only thing that can tackle an adult signal crayfish. It’s a real shame that they pick off lethargic winter Barbel too 🙁
 
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