Conditions at 12z (1PM BST): Thickness, 560dam, temperature 18C (dewpoint 13C). Wind from the southwest, 13 MPH. Today's high, 20C, last night's low 9C. (source: MetO, the 12z GFS and NOAA). A deep low (containing the remnants of Hurricane Karl) lies to the north of the UK, bringing plenty of cloud and relatively high dewpoints across the UK.

Yesterday was notable here on Sheppey, with grey skies keeping temperatures pegged below 12C for much of the day. Indeed, the high was just 13C, which felt distinctly chilly. Overnight the temperatures fell to 10C, which meant a lot of dew to wipe from the car this morning. Clear blue skies soon gave way to building cloud as I nipped westwards, leaving the fields and marshes of Kent behind.

Indeed, by the time I arrived at the Trust the skies looked almost threatening:

View to the East, Beenham, 0840z (19th)

Unlike last Sunday, there were no wolves greeting me as I pulled up. The European wolves are off at the final show of the season, at Malvern - after this it's back to regular weekend walks for the members.

However, there are more than just the European wolves at the Trust and as I rounded the Euro kennels I saw a grey form waiting for me....

Duma, ever vigilant

I did the obvious thing and approached, and despite the mesh Duma gave me a good sniff - her way of saying "Hi!" I then headed down to Kodiak and Kenai, but they were asleep on their mound. As I was heading back past Duma and Dakota's enclosure, they started howling. It was a long, mournful sound, albeit much weaker than usual as there were no Euros to join in. Even Kodiak and Kenai declined to join in, which is unusual for them.

Once more I flicked the dial on my camera and started taking some video footage - it's wobbly and mute, but here are Duma and Dakota howling away:

Video clip
(RealVideo, 682KB)

For those who want to hear the wolves, here's a link to the MP3 I recorded back in July, with all seven wolves howling at once:
Howling MP3
(MP3, 449KB)

After that, the wolves trotted over and followed me as I went back around their kennel. Here's Duma, just having had a drink - notice the white hairs in her tail, reminiscent of the way Kenai now looks.

Who's watching whom?

With the Euros away last night, there wasn't much cleaning to be done. However, while I was helping out with Duma and Dakota's pen, both wolves came over to the mesh (no surprise there, they seem to enjoy the company). Dakota soon headed off and, after gazing at the empty Euro enclosure, let out a howl. Duma (still only a few inches away from me) joined in with the howling - and boy, it was loud! . Having been blasted at short range, it's no surprise that the sound can echo over several miles given the right conditions....

The skies were starting to clear, and with light winds the temperature had risen to the high teens - a completely different feel to yesterday, almost summery in comparison. Indeed, there was some warmth to the Sun's rays, although I'd not bothered with sun cream, for the first time in nearly 5 months!

After lunch, we all looked out into the Euro enclosure. It would be a great chance to do what the Trust call a "bone and scat collection", but there was a snag: no senior around to let us in. One phonecall later and we were given the go ahead, although as there wasn't anyone around with a key to the enclosure we ended up crawling through the "trap" entrance that the wolves use. (Yes, would have made a great photo but I'd have been thumped if I'd taken any!)

I often post pictures of the Euro enclosure - here's a wolf's eye view of the Obs Room!

We cleared up a few bits and bobs in there, although generally the area was pretty clean. While walking around it was interesting to see the various holes that the wolves had made - they're great at digging, which is the reason that the enclosure fences have a 6 foot buried "skirt". I also got to see the little known wooded area of the enclosure, down by a stream. The wolves are great at destroying any small plants that might grow, although there's a small amount of greenery that's clung to survival.

The tree in the centre conceals a half finished den

There were even more holes here, including a couple of large ones - large enough for me to crouch in, anyway. I'd suspect that after Alba and Lunca had their fun in March, Lunca would have started work on a den - just like her wild brethren. Of course, there were no pups (Alba's had the snip), so no den was needed - and I suspect that's why the wolves abandoned construction.

After that, under overcast skies, it was time to head for home. On the way back the temperature hovered close to 20C for much of the time - a warm day for late September!

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