Signal Crayfish Killer

[cuthound]

Three times in the past few weeks I have found a dismembered signal Crayfish on my mooring, adjacent to my boat.

 

Presumably they are being taken by a bird or other predator.

 

The remains vary from almost whole, to just claws and legs left.

 

Does anyone have any idea what the predator might be?

[MtB]

Otters probably.

[mrsmelly]

Otters

 

[cuthound]

3 minutes ago, MtB said:

Otters probably.

 

2 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

Otters

 

 

Thanks guys. I haven't seen any other signs of otters. I'll try to see if I can see one in action.

[MtB]

Mink perhaps? Not sure if they swim about under water like otters. 

[mrsmelly]

16 minutes ago, cuthound said:

 

 

Thanks guys. I haven't seen any other signs of otters. I'll try to see if I can see one in action.

Before having to move into a poxy house, at my last mooring on the Oxford we were lucky enough to have resident otters that often visited my jetty thingy during darkness. One would sit outside a cabin window literaly inches away and if we were dead quiet we could watch it. We could hear it fishing and occassionaly found remnants of fish and crayfish next day. Love em.

Get yourself a Trail camera, I have one in my garden and watch the foxes and badgers.

Edited October 8, 2023 by mrsmelly
numpty

[cuthound]

1 hour ago, mrsmelly said:

Before having to move into a poxy house, at my last mooring on the Oxford we were lucky enough to have resident otters that often visited my jetty thingy during darkness. One would sit outside a cabin window literaly inches away and if we were dead quiet we could watch it. We could hear it fishing and occassionaly found remnants of fish and crayfish next day. Love em.

Get yourself a Trail camera, I have one in my garden and watch the foxes and badgers.

 

My security cameras often pick up foxes and cats in the garden, but haven't picked up the Cray fish killer, so I think that whatever it is is too small for the camera (although they have picked up spiders making webs across the lens 😂).

 

I think I will get a trail camera just to see if it captures an otter.

[mrsmelly]

1 minute ago, cuthound said:

 

My security cameras often pick up foxes and cats in the garden, but haven't picked up the Cray fish killer, so I think that whatever it is is too small for the camera (although they have picked up spiders making webs across the lens 😂).

 

I think I will get a trail camera just to see if it captures an otter.

Trail cameras do pick up more than security cameras. Our trail cam sometimes picks up our nice friendly Rat that we call Jack 😂

[Naughty Cal]

More likely otter than mink.

[ditchcrawler]

I have watched a crow taking them off the cill when the lock was emptied at Three Locks on the GU.

[Liam]

Tell tale signs of Otters is their scat, or "spraint" as its technically known. Once you know what you're looking for it stands out like a saw thumb and gives away the fact they've been visiting.

[Bee]

Crows are clever creatures, we have seen them taking tiny fish off the various bits of angle iron on the back of lock gates in France as the emptying lock strands them. Otters are  the most likely crayfish killers, crayfish are not very common on our part of the Severn but they are sometimes left like the one in the photo on the bank and the dog rolls in the wreckage. They smell absolutely awful.

[Ewan123]

47 minutes ago, Liam said:

Tell tale signs of Otters is their scat, or "spraint" as its technically known. Once you know what you're looking for it stands out like a saw thumb and gives away the fact they've been visiting.

Yes, and if you do find some spraint, dont be afraid to give it a sniff - it's remarkably inoffensive, honest! If it's very offensive it's more likely to be mink. Otter spraint is even likened to the fragrance of jasmine tea by some...

Edited October 8, 2023 by Ewan123

[Liam]

Yes was about to say its actually quite a pleasant aroma! However that doesn't stop you looking a rather big fool when you're on all fours sniffing the coping stones 🤣

[ditchcrawler]

I have heard it described as smelling of violets 

32 minutes ago, Liam said:

Yes was about to say its actually quite a pleasant aroma! However that doesn't stop you looking a rather big fool when you're on all fours sniffing the coping stones 🤣

 

[MtB]

51 minutes ago, Liam said:

Yes was about to say its actually quite a pleasant aroma! However that doesn't stop you looking a rather big fool when you're on all fours sniffing the coping stones 🤣

 

Especially if you turn out to be sniffing one that ISN'T an otter spraint! 

 

Otter spraints are generally easy to identify visually, being obviously full of fish scales, fish bones and/or crayfish components. One often sees them on the coping stones on the aprons at locks, just outside the top gates. Or one does around here anyway. 

 

 

[Slim]

5 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

I have watched a crow taking them off the cill when the lock was emptied at Three Locks on the GU.

When I moored at Harefield a nearby lake (flash) held fresh water mussels. The crows used pick them up then fly over the marina and drop them on the roadway to crack them open.

[Naughty Cal]

5 hours ago, Slim said:

When I moored at Harefield a nearby lake (flash) held fresh water mussels. The crows used pick them up then fly over the marina and drop them on the roadway to crack them open.

They do that at Burton Waters in the boat yard.

 

They mug the Oyster Catchers of their mussels first.

[LEO]

I have two trail cameras set up in the garden, good shots of deer, badgers and foxes, various birds and a rat, on the mooring it's foxes, the odd rabbit and other moorers dogs. Quality of filming can be variable and take care as moving leaves can set the cameras off............

[Nightwatch]

The price of trail cameras vary considerably. Is it worth the investment or are the lower priced units good enough for an amateur?

[mrsmelly]

1 hour ago, Nightwatch said:

The price of trail cameras vary considerably. Is it worth the investment or are the lower priced units good enough for an amateur?

Funnily enough I looked into this quite extensively a couple of years ago. Having bought three over the last two years my experience is that paying top dollar is as daft as buying an iphone, the mid range and some low priced stuff does just as much as the high priced stuff. Most is from China anyway and just badge engineering. At present I am using two at different ends of the price range and both do a good job. Dont be fooled by those claiming fifty squillion pixels, do your research on the facts re this alone. I bought one with wifi and bluetooth capability but rarely use it. I wanted to ensure a unit with remote plug in to leccy but that proved not needed as they all do several days on rechargeable batteries. One bit of advice is to avoid the models with the whole front that opens, get one that the lens stays in place and a door opens, it makes setting up more accurate. Also whatever type of LEDs it has be it black, low glo etc etc makes no difference in reality. Such as ceymour at fiftyish quid are adeguate just as a for instance.

[haggis]

Several times on this holiday when walking back from the pub or when walking the dog in the dark lights come on when we pass a moored boat. I assume this is some sort of camera system and I am sorely tempted to  do a wee dance or make rude gestures 😄. Common sense has so far prevailed ! 

[Alan de Enfield]

3 minutes ago, haggis said:

I am sorely tempted to  do a wee dance

 

Is that the one you do with your legs crossed and jump about to the words "I really need to go, O' how I need to go".

[haggis]

No, that sounds like a highland fling. I was thinking of something less energetic, like a waltz. 

[LEO]

4 hours ago, Nightwatch said:

The price of trail cameras vary considerably. Is it worth the investment or are the lower priced units good enough for an amateur?

 

The prices do vary, I have only purchased units at the lower end of the price scale (abouit £40).and in Amazons sales, you also need an SD card, and batteries, results are reasonable, not sure how waterproof they are, last one I bought was an Apeman unit, seems to do the job, I normally leave them 'on site' for a week, it can be tedious sifting through the pics.........