Mammal survey Pol'ana - De Zoogdiervereniging

Otter Otter (Lutra (Lutra (Lutra lutra)
lutra)
Tracks and spraints of otters were found at different locations on the banks of brooks and rivers. Clear and
fresh tracks were present at the river Kaminsty Potok en Čierny Potok in the National Park Pol'ana, on July
31st . At the little reservoir where later that day the Noctule was to be captured, the foot prints that were
carefully wiped out on August 2nd appeared to be replaced by new ones. So it appeared to be a hot spot in
the living environment of the otter.
Looked Looked for, for, but but not not found: found: tracks tracks and/or and/or excrem excrements excrem excrem ents of of lynx lynx (Lynx (Lynx lynx)
lynx)
On both sides of the road between Detvianska Huta and Látky, on which some participants of the workshop
saw a female lynx cross over with her two cubs on August 4th (see text box on page 26), a search for tracks
was carried out on August 6th . Unfortunately no tracks were found. In the valley and the forest on the slope
some potentially good observation posts and resting places were found, like cavities in and under the rootsystem
of fallen trees. However, Pine marten excrements were present on those spots. In spite of the rain two
days ago there were few spots where the substrate was soft enough to register foot prints well. At some
muddy places where that was the case several foot prints could be found, but none of the lynx. In 2004,
also in Slovakia, but in a more northern area, in Slovenski Raj, workshop members did manage to find tracks
of a lynx in a specific search. The track of the front feet was 7.6 cm long and wide in that case.
Preserving a track.
4.5 OWL PELLETS by: Rudy van der Kuil
During the workshop pellets were collected at 2 different locations, one on a church attic and another one in
a church tower. The pellets from the church of Zolna produced the following observations: 1 C. leucodon, 1
Mus musculus and 1 Microtus arvalis/agrestis. The church of Zvolenska Slatina produced 1 Neomys
anomalus, 1 Apodemus spec. and 23 Microtus arvalis.
28 Dutch Mammal Society
Photo: Joost Verbeek