It is a dangerous world out there for birds and injuries from collisions, entanglement with litter and netting are common. Some birds are even harmed by people trying to be helpful, the mesh bags that some fat balls and peanuts come in can easily get tangled around birds feet and the RSPB urges everyone to dispose of these bags and use proper feeders or bird tables. However, birds are adaptable and resilient creatures and many will struggle on successfully, even with a damaged leg. I believe certain leg injuries can heal very quickly in birds but it is possible for birds to bleed to death depending on the extent of the injury. This blackbird seems to have learnt to cope with his injury so hopefully he will do just fine

The Garden cross spider (Araneus diadematus) builds a large and complicated orb-web with silk threads stronger than an equivalent steel thread. However, the web is basically frail and dependent on a small number of contact points. If one of the key contact points fails the spider will often dismantle its web and start again. This could involve a trip down to the ground so the spider would not be easily seen. Perhaps more likely in this short time period is that a bird swooped in, took the spider and destroyed the web. Wrens in particular eat lots of spiders and Long-tailed tits use spider webs as their key nest building material. It is possible that your focussed attention may have attracted the attention of the bird! (I am assuming there were no children in the garden!)

Always distressing to discover wildlife casualties in water as their bodies quickly bloat and the grace and vitality of the animal is lost. We must accept that in the natural world (even in our garden ponds) wildlife habitats and their communities are vulnerable to extremes of weather.

Recent hard weather in the British Isles has been very difficult for wildlife in general, particularly difficult for those species living in habitats where the water has frozen over very quickly remaining frozen (in some cases solid) for long periods.(I suspect that numbers of some species of water birds will have taken a severe hit). Leaving aside the possibility of disease or chemical pollution my suspicions are that a combination of natural events i.e. build up of toxic gasses from decaying leaf litter linked with the covering of ice led to a serious compromise of water quality and lack of oxygen proving fatal for the frogs in your pond.

Safeguard your pond and all of its watery inhabitants in the future:

•Prevent excess organic matter (leaves/plant debris) accumulating in the pond.
•Prevent ice completely covering the pond by floating a plastic football on the surface this gives a ‘breathing hole’ which is important to stop the build up of toxic gasses released by plant litter as it decays.
•Don’t be tempted to smash ice on ponds the resulting shock waves are dangerous for the inhabitants.
•Frogs (toads and newts) are all prey to grass snakes, herons, crows, hedgehogs, rats, domestic cats etc. so provide safe refuge with log and stone piles in which they can hide.
•A buffer zone around the pond of taller vegetation may help create a slightly warmer and more favourable microclimate. Ponds, which have circulatory pumps, generally, are less prone to icing over. Pond heaters are available but I have concerns over their ‘green credentials’.
•This question illustrates what brilliant ‘biological indicators’ fish and amphibians are of the health of wetland habitats and how important garden ponds are for wildlife.

Otters are very difficult to see on our inland waters as they are solitary animals with large territories. A female’s home range can be 30-40km with males ranging up to 70 km at times, so the chances of spotting one are slim, especially as they are most often active at night.
“In many places it is not too difficult to find evidence of otters’ presence. Look out for their droppings - called spraints - which are made up of prey remains. The fresh spraints are blackish and have a sweet, almost grassy, smell. They are usually deposited in a prominent place along the edge of a river, for example on a rock or fallen log.
Amwell Nature Reserve is one of the most important sites in Hertfordshire for otters, following reintroduction here in 1991. www.hertswildlifetrust.org.uk/NatureReserves/Flagship/amwell. Other locations to try are along coastal waters, for example in the north west highlands of Scotland, the Hebrides or Shetland. In these habitats otters often have much smaller ranges.
Local Wildlife Trusts often run courses on otter surveying, so contact your local Trust to see if they are running any otter-related events this year.

The red squirrel - the only squirrel species native to the UK- is suffering massive population decline. Habitat destruction started this, but more recent declines are due to the grey squirrel. Greys were introduced to the UK in 1876, and have since been expanding their range. Greys are larger than reds and require more food. They live in higher densities and are better adapted to digest the seeds from broadleaved tree species, such as acorns. Reds are unable to compete in mixed and broadleaved woodlands, and greys takeover. Greys also carry a contagious virus called ‘squirrelpox virus’ which they pass to reds. The virus does not affect greys but is lethal to reds. Rather than bringing more red squirrels into the UK, conservation focuses on protecting remaining red populations in large conifer forests. Conifer cones contain very small seeds; red squirrels can survive on these, but the larger greys struggle. The limited food means reds live in low densities, but this helps to stop the spread of squirrelpox virus. You can find out much more about conservation work for red squirrels by visiting www.saveoursquirrels.org.uk.

It is very unusual to come across an intact lobster on the strandline as they live in deeper water and avoid the intertidal zone. However they do travel quite large distances looking for food so this particular one may have got caught out by the tides. Lobsters are unable to survive very long out of the water, especially during cold weather as we have been experiencing lately. Unfortunately it is very unlikely the eggs will have survived. They would be vulnerable to drying out and were possibly dead by the time you found them. Although you placed the body back in the water, the eggs require the female to keep them clean and well aerated and so would not have survived without her tending them. The female lobster keeps her eggs constantly clear of debris by flickering her tail, ensuring plenty of well aerated water passes over them.

Well priced and good quality new lenses would be the Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Macro DG or the Tamron 70-300mm f4-5.6 Di LD Macro, these sell for around the £150 mark each. A better option might be to look at used equipment, all items are thoroughly tested to ensure they are in full working order and most items will come with a 6 month guarantee. A quick search of our website found similar lenses I have mentioned starting at nearly half the new price and if your budget can stretch up to the £300 - £400 price range then zooms up to 400 to 500mm are available. Alan Sanders

One of the most important features to look out for would be the optical zoom range of the camcorder, the bigger the magnification, the closer you will be able to get to the subject without disturbing it and also enable you to zoom in enough to see the subject and not just have a dot in the distance. Most budget camcorders have a 10x optical zoom which is OK but for a little extra you can get 34x, 40x etc which would be much better, however it will also need to have some sort of image stabilization to be able to hand hold the camcorder at these sort of magnifications. Do not be fooled by the digital zoom claims on some of the budget cameras, they zoom in on the image digitally, pixelate (look blocky) very quickly and produce an image that is almost un-usable. Pop along to a good dealer, take a look at what’s on offer and get a demonstration to see the camera in action.

Generations of otters may use the same holt systems in a territory. These are scattered around the territory though, and though there may be a preferred site, the otters use all of their lie ups from time to time. In Shetland, there may be 2 bitches with cubs and a mature dog otters utilizing a mile of coastline. This will differ according to food abundance and season, but there could be up to nine otters using a one mile stretch. This would be exceptional though. More usually there would be one family plus a mature dog, i.e. 3 - 5 animals in a one mile stretch.

- I use Sorel boots in extreme cold. I have found Muck boots to be excellent wellies in moderately cold weather. Two pairs of socks of a high grade wool helps a lot. Never use hand warmers in your boots in extreme cold. They may feel cosy for a while, but they will make your feet sweat, and when THAT gets cold, it hurts!! Simon King