Water Wildlife Closer To Home

  WATER WILDLIFE CLOSER TO HOME

  Welcome to water wildlife closer to home, this is where I will show you the different types of water creatures that you could see nearer your home. There are many fascinating things that you can find in rivers or lakes in Europe or elswhere in the world all you have to do is keep your eyes peeled and you will see so many different things...

WATER MAMMALS NEAR YOU

  Most people are supprised by the number of water mammals there are around them, yet if you look closely, they are everywhere...

THE RAGONDIN

  This strange little creature isn't often found in Britain, but in Belgium, France and Holland it is quite common. It is a bit like an otter and from afar may look like a rat but if you look closer you will see a few differences. Sometimes there is a bit of green or blue fur just above its nose and it has abnormally long whiskers. These are two of the few diffences between a ragondin and a river otter.

  An average ragondin grows to about 50cm long and about 20cm tall. They are shy creatures and will bite if they feel threatened. Despite being slightly on the nervous side, they will happily eat out of a persons hand if they think it is safe.

  If you want to see this marvelous animal up-close, then don't wear bright coloured clothes, it will make them mad. It is best to approach it crouching down so you are nearer its size. Move slowly, sharp movements, however slight, will make it feel insecure. If you wish to hand-feed a ragondin the best food to give them is a breadstick, hold it in one hand, an arm's length away from your body. Don't move, just patiently await a ragondin. When a ragondin aproaches you, allow it to smell the breadstick first, it may run repeatedly back from you before it is sure you are not a predator, so paitience is essential. It will nibble slowly at the breadstick and may even lick a few crumbs from your hand. Remember, it is a wild animal and not a domesticated dog or cat or rat, it will not be afraid to bite you if it feels scared or nervous. Do not attempt to make reassuring noises, these will just intimidate it and it may run away.

  These charming aqua-mammals may be small, but they are a joy to watch and it gives you a certain thrill to see them up-close.

Ragondin are excellent swimmers, I saw this one in Briesach, Germany. 

                                                                                                         

This young ragondin came up very close.

THE MINK

  The mink is not a native British water-mammal, it was introduced from America for use as game for hunters in the 1970s. They were released when certain animal welfare groups, such as the RSPCA and RSPB, were set up and passed laws on animal treatment to stop the killing of creatures for sport. Since then, these 'foreign beasts' have attacked the Thames and are feeding of our normally thriving populations of water birds such as coots and moorhens. The mink not only attacks young birds but it also played a part in driving out our native river otters and beavers. I myself witnessed a mink killing defenceless coot chicks at the age of 6. A large male mink swam up to their nest and crawled inside it. The parents forced their ways out with two of the four chicks while the mink thrashed around inside the nest-evidentley killing the strongest and weakest chicks that had been left in the nest. After five minutes of non-stop-suspence, the mink left with the strongest chick hanging limp in its mouth. Then, without warning, it came back towards the nest and leapt in. It still had the first chick in its mouth, it obviously wanted to make a clean job of it and take out the smallest chick too. Then the smallest chick dropped inexplicably out of the back of the nest unharmed and swam to its parents. Upon realising its prey had disappeared, the mink left, snapping at the adult coots as it went.

WATER BIRDS NEAR YOU

  A beautiful selection of birds live by and depend on our rivers, streams and lakes. Birds of all colours and of all sizes. Sometimes they could be right next to you and you wouldn't even notice...

THE GREY HERON

  The grey heron is a stealthy predator that grabs fish from the water with its sharp beak. It is commonly found in Britain and may be seen by birdwatchers near the Thames. I watched these wonderful birds very often as they had a nest near my home (a 38.77m Belgian-Spit boat) and, despite the fact they may not be classed on the beautiful side of nature on account of their skinny legs, they are intelligent and simply thrilling to watch. 

  The grey heron tends to eat small fish such as roach and bream or frogs and water-boatmen (the insects you see on lake surfaces, not boat drivers!!) but they will also eat bread given by humans if the person stands a good distance away while it eats as they are secretive birds that keep themselves to themselves. They will snap at anyone who comes too close to their chicks. 

A majestic grey heron hunting for fish in a lake.

THE KINGFISHER

  The kingfisher is one of the most charing and beautiful birds in Britain and is a well evolved hunter. It can often be seen in large lakes or rivers diving into the water to catch small fish. It has a blue back with a yellowish tip on its feathers. It also has an orange breast. It is a small bird and has an indistinct neck which could easily be a double-chin. They live in burrows in river banks or reeds at the water's edge.  They are shy birds and never come in close contact with other creatures or humans.

A kingfisher preparing to dive into the murky waters of the Thames for its supper.

SHARKS IN BRITAIN'S WATERS

  People tend to be surprised when they hear how many types of sharks live in our waters, I won't describe them as they are on the home page but here is a list of the ever present sharks;

blue sharks

angel sharks

bluntnose sixgill sharks

basking sharks

spiny dogfish

porbeagle sharks

Here are the sharks that are sometimes found in British seas;

shortfin mako sharks

oceanic whitetip sharks

Sometimes, sharks from elsewhere in the world turn up by our shores, here they are;

great white sharks

dusky sharks

tiger sharks

  

It is surprising, but at some point all these sharks have been found in Britain's seas.