Country diary: A poo with a view | Nic Wilson

Hitchin, Hertfordshire: Otters are currently active and are leaving their spraint by the River Purwell. But why does this one seem to be looking at me?We all have the odd unsavoury habit. At least, that's what I told myself yesterday as I knelt on the bank of the River Purwell to take an appraising sniff of a sausage-shaped poo, an excremental exhibit displayed in the middle of a grassy mound as if it were a crown on a ceremonial cushion.The aroma was not unpleasant. Faintly fishy with a hint of animal musk. The placement and scent of the scat suggested only one thing - an otter had passed by recently and left its calling card: a poo with a view. Continue reading...