More inconvenient weather

After a very long night in the van and a poor forecast for the early morning, meaning clear and sunny which most mammals don’t like, we had a more relaxing start with breakfast at 10.am. Collecting our supper from the remains we set off in sunshine to look for adders. They had been and gone.
Undeterred we climbed back into the van, drove a short distance and then walked into the wilderness to reach a beautifully secluded set of beaver pools, impossible to reach at other times of the year because of snow or vegetation. We spotted two nutcrackers and a black woodpecker.
Before resting and eating lunch/dinner I fitted in a visit to a nearby 19th century roadside chapel. On the short walk back to the accommodation I spotted this red squirrel. In these parts they shed their coats twice a year, switching from a thinner summer coat to a thicker much darker winter one and have noticeably larger ear tufts.
I think I managed 15 minutes sleep before we ate at 4.30. An hour later we were on the road again, our first stop an accessible beaver pool where we watched several emerge from their lodge and swim behind thick bushes doing something very important. Mark and Jan persuaded us to leave, they were anxious to return to where we’d seen the female bear and cubs, specks on the thermal camera, a few nights ago. Tonight they didn’t even appear as specks. The weather was still too clear, starry skies and a bright quarter moon. No wolves either.
I think we were all quite glad when the guides decided to call it a night at 12.30 am. Two of us agreed to do a final safari after a few hours sleep at 4.30 when the forecast was for cloud and rain making much better spotting conditions.