Eurasian Otter by Steve Docker
Alongside three other volunteers, Steve has been responsible for over 1,800 otter records in Derbyshire.
Steve surveys for the presence of otters (field signs) along the Henmore Brook in Derbyshire, which flows through the town of Ashbourne before joining the River Dove. The brook is ideal otter habitat, being a series of shallows interspersed with deep pools.
Henmore Brook by Steve Docker
Otters are something of a recent conservation success story, with otters now being present in all English counties, after all but disappearing from lowland rivers in the 1960s. Survey results such as Steve’s are important in tracking the changing fortunes of otters both across the UK and at a local level.
Steve is not our only volunteer, as many of our consultants use their professional skills for other wildlife projects.