Hi all from Emily
Here's the latest from the BBC's Mary Askew on Saltholme's ottercam...
Day four of ottercam.....and still no otter. But hey, these things wouldn't be fun if they were easy. And we are having fun. Today we were joined by Matt Baker of Countryfile and Blue Peter fame, and together with half a dozen school children, we all went pond dipping. I haven't been pond dipping since my dad took me to Ryton Ponds in the Tyne Valley when I was about seven, and I'd forgotten just how much I loved it.
We caught water boatmen with their front legs like paddles, little stickleback fish, and, in our enthusiasm, rather a lot of sand. Incredibly the pond has only been there for a few months yet seemed to be packed with tiny wildlife.
Some of the kids there today had actually helped plant the watery reed beds in March, and they were really chuffed to see a black coot and her chicks nesting in area they themselves had helped to create.
It's one of the things I like about Saltholme, it really is a reserve for the whole family to enjoy, and not just for serious twitchers. Staff can even loan you 'Wildlife Explorer Rucksacks' complete with a small pair of binoculars, plastic pots to house any bugs your kids find and a game of 'bird bingo' to play as you walk around.
But back to otters. Tees Valley Wildlife Trust has also been hiding camera traps, hoping to film otters. Its cameras (funded by the Heritage Lottery) are across the River Tees in Middlesbrough. And I am so impressed with what they have caught on film.
By far my favourite is some footage from Marton. A homeowner there was complaining that something - he didn't know what - was stealing Koi carp from his garden pond. A wildlife camera caught the culprit red-handed - a very happy otter was filmed carrying a Koi carp that was almost as big as he was. You can view the film at
bbc.co.uk/tees.