When it comers to nature watching luck often favours he or she who is out and about. As it was a pool in the stream cum river was very clear and I could see that very shy and retiring character, the stone loach resting over some smooth water polished stones just below me. In my younger days I caught a few when I used to roam with net and 2lb jam jar as some boys used to do during the 1940s. String around the jam jar neck, cheap little net and a jam sandwich.

Loaches tend to have long, slim bodies, cylindrical and well adapted for hiding among stones and burrowing in vegetation. The mouth of a stone loach is surrounded by long barbels with which it seeks out insect larvae and nymphs which live on the river bed. As it is a night feeder the barbels have to be very sensitive to detect such small prey.

The stone loach is a fairly common fish but being secretive it is not well known. As it emerges at twilight and during the night I find a riverbank evening with a red filtered torch provides a very interesting few hours, especially as foxes and other nocturnal animals ignore the red light.

Spawning takes place in April and May, dull white eggs being shed among plant leaves or on gravel. These hatch in 14- 16 days and after a few days fry begin feeding on algal detritus. In five weeks they'll have grown to ¾ ins (1.5cm) their barbels developing and they will have begun feeding on small crustaceans. The fish become mature at two years of age with a maximum life span of around 7-8 years. It grows to 6 ins (15cm) in length.