I’m not a fan of cliches but ‘every cloud has a silver lining’ would sum up the fortunes of the Lone Kayaker’s wildlife adventures over the last few weeks/months.
It’s not entirely appropriate, however. I guess for a cloud to have a silver lining it must have some sort of edge. The entire blanket of grey that has stretched from horizon to horizon recently gives no opportunity for any hope of ever seeing anything but drizzle again. There’s nothing remotely resembling a lining.
If you are a kayaker who wants to get out into the sea for a bit of fun you do not want to see a weather chart like this. Isobars (white lines) in the shape of a dartboard means wind and rain. A dartboard within a dartboard means it’s time to get the tiddlywinks out.
However…the coastline of Devon and Cornwall is pierced by a whole load of little creeks that offer a bit of shelter from wind and swell. This is where I have been forced to lurk recently.
If you don’t want to become stranded on a bank of sludge or have your enthusiasm sucked dry by paddling against the flow you need to ‘go with the tides’.
That is why the kettle has been clicked on at the appallingly early hour of 0430, so I can be on the water as the first Blackbird song starts to welcome in the dawn. And to catch the current.
Fortunately, for wildlife-spotting, early is good. That is when the most elusive, shy and slithery of UK mammals make their way home after a big night out.
I have struck gold a couple of times recently.
Yesterday, just as it was getting light, a bow-wave was heading straight towards me:
Instant mega excitement…was it a small seal, otter or beaver? Seal no, it was progressing to steadily for that. Otter…also no…they just can’t resist a bit of underwater swimming. And it wasn’t fast and frantic enough for an otter. This was a bit of a steady Eddie. A beaver!
I sat without daring to breathe and it swam right on past…
Although it was clearly on a mission to get to bed it couldn’t resist a bit of a late night/early morning snack. Those newly emerged, crispy-fresh willow leaves just could not be ignored:
It was excellent to see that great spatula of a tail sticking out of the water…that’s a first for me. I have been the subject of a ‘tail-slap’ of alarm before, but I’ve never actually seen one before on a wild beaver in UK. They are usually below the water.
The furry rodent and I parted ways when it continued downstream and I continued up. I always like to clock up a few miles on my trips to make the whole thing worthwhile.
However I was feeling a bit pooped after my ultra early start so drove my kayak into a riverside bush for a revitalising cup of coffee.
I am fully aware that sitting in a kayak all alone in a bush in a river at 6.30am is a bit of a weird thing to do…but I love it. Just listen to that dawn chorus! Blackbird and Song Thrush backed up by Wren, Robin, Blue Tit and Woodpigeon.
Then it got a whole lot better.
As I slurped, my eyes popped out on stalks because another beaver was heading directly towards me!!
You can see that this beaver, unfortunately, got wind of me. When a beaver or an otter ‘log’ on the surface they have just sensed that you are there. In fact you can see this one sniffing before it decides to take evasive action.
It wasn’t too spooked, however. I watched it surface a few metres away and carry on downstream, apparently unperturbed.
Yes you can disturb wild animals in a kayak, but because they…the kayaks…are so quiet and slow-moving the disturbance is about as minimal as it can be.
The beaver amazement wasn’t over, because a couple of miles further upstream I passed a load of perfectly snipped and stripped willow shoots floating down the river. Although it looks as though I am attempting to eat my muesli with chopsticks, it was clearly the work of a hungry beaver which had probably just sneaked off to bed before I came round the corner.
So, in a couple of hours, I had seen three beavers and found evidence of more… totally unbelievable.
Just to make your gaping jaw sag even further towards the floor, I saw the same beaver on two successive days at PRECISELY the same time in EXACTLY the same place. They are clearly creatures of routine.
OK it’s actually one minute time difference if you want to be picky.
See the evidence for yourself…this beaver has a smudge of whitish fur on the side of it’s face…
Although otters are broadly similar in appearance to beavers and live in the same sort of rivery place, a beaver looks like a land mammal taking a swim whereas an otter slithers about in the manner of a full-time aquatic creature such as a dolphin. Or a porpoise!
If you hear the chirp of a young otter you are in for a bit of a treat, because otter pups have got playfulness hotwired into their mojo:
Watch the hurdling effort…not quite up to Sally Gunnell standard maybe, but good effort…
Unfortunately this chirp was more of a cry…
…and although I did then watch mum turn up with a fish I’m not too sure how healthy the pup was. it seemed a bit subdued and fluffed up to me.
In contrast to a decade ago I rarely see large fish such as sea trout and salmon jumping in the big rivers so a major source of food for the otters has declined. I think the same probably applies to eels. Are there enough fish to keep the super-active otters well fed?
It’s ten years since I saw a sight such as this…
I get the impression that otters are robust and feisty as individuals, but delicate as a species.
They are also incredibly shy, unless they happen to want to come over for a bit of a chat…
The Lone Kayaker 
Beautiful, Rupert. I love reading your tales of wildlife and adventure. Is this the Torridge? Passed you in Torrington yesterday with kayak on board. There’s a dogwalker I meet regularly down the bottom of Castle Hill who comments on seeing otters, I wonder if it’s actually these beavers? Brilliant. I’ll keep my eyes peeled when I’m out with Tink. Hope you’re all well. Emma.
Yes, keep a look out for those otters, Emma, they’re a bit special…but staggeringly slinky. Funnily enough I had just paid a visit to the Wild Otter Trust yesterday before I got stuck in the Torrington gridlock. If you see an old geezer floating down the river in an inflatable kayak, give him a shout because it’s probably me. Or send Tink down to give him/me a lick. Great to hear from you.