I suppose theres no obvious reason why they would not inhabit tidal stretches but this one seemed to be just splashing around and hauling itself onto a muddy piece of bank and then off again and then on etc. The largest otter is the giant otter. Yarmouth on May 31st,10, and a female otter on the M11 in Cambridgeshire in May. During winter, otters are active during the daytime. I have only ever seen 3 otters in the wild. For the latest updates across BBC blogs, visit the Blogs homepage. Complain about this comment (Comment number 17), Myself and a photographer friend where looking for Barn Owls at Tophill Low nature reserve in East Yorkshire a few weeks ago, I spotted the Otter about an hour before sunset. These cookies do not store any personal information. The one sighting was on the River Teme in Ludlow (it had caught a fish and ate it rather noisily) and the other more surprisingly, or maybe not, was on the tidal part of the River Wharfe just north of Cawood in North Yorkshire. There are 13 identified species of Otters known. Mink are, (unfortunately), very widespread along the Calder and Ryburn valleys, despite intensive efforts to remove them. Read more. Meet and greet our friendly otters and feeding experience. Sadly no picture as when it spotted me it spooked & swam under some reeds & was gone. Never took a pic, unfortunately, but a great picture in our minds. "It's not physically possible for them to spread very quickly," said Yoxon. Mothers will continue to float on their backs, nurse their young and teach them to swim and hunt. Eurasian otters have staged a remarkable comeback in the UK, where they’re now once again present in every single county. Last spring they had 3 kits under the quay in Cardigan. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Their tail is over a foot long They’re most active at dusk and dawn. Any age: £75 + £25 per additional person (max. That last sighting was about 10 years ago. Daily activities focus on feeding and grooming, interspersed with rest periods. Held every year during the last week in September, Sea Otter Awareness Week spotlights the important role of sea otters in nearshore ecosystems of the North Pacific Ocean. Other sea lochs along Scotland's west coast are similarly rich in otters, which can be seen foraging for food on the water's edge. Most otters live in dens — built by other animals, such as beavers — that are dug into the ground that have many channels and dry inner chambers. This is the original and best "Otter Experience" that visitors have been ejoying for over 15 years. But it survived in Scotland’s cleanest bodies of water in the north and west. Otter babies are called pups. Which is why we're seeing them more and more during the day. On a recent visit to Dumfries, 5th June, we were lucky to see an adult otter, in the River Nith, Dumfries Town Centre, at 16.40 hrs, fishing next to the weir.Otter seemed unafraid as small crowd gathered to watch, indeed it came within 10/20ft on riverside walk, caught 2 eels, stayed in area for 45 mins, managed to get several good photos, informed Council Wildlife Officer who states, received several reports recently of otters in this area. The playful North American river otter is equally at home in the water and on land. River otters are predators; they avoid feeding on carrion. This really made our day. Scotland is the best place in the UK to see them and particularly on the coast, where they are generally more active during the day. Remember when Chris and Kate saw a mother and cubs in broad daylight while filming Autumnwatch in Pembrokeshire? Perhaps the most foolproof location for otters is the Isle of Mull. ...not just because I read Wind in the Willows as a child...And now a cull? For the long-in-the-tooth otters, experts suggest juggling rocks could be a way to pass the time and keep their brains active, similar to humans doing puzzles to keep their minds engaged as they age. Late evening is similarly active for feeding birds as they store energy for the night. 4th July 2010I have just seen an otter on the River Dore in Herefordshire in Abbeydore. This distinction goes to the sea otter. @ Pammi Re #33 - Sounds more like a Mink that you saw taking the Mallard Pammi. And if you're at risk the best thing to do is to Single otters seen on a regular basis on the Usk & under the main bridge coming into Brecon in Wales.Mother & cubs seen at night & seemingly not at all worried by humans.They were reintroduced a number of years ago on the Honddu river a tributary of the Usk & appear to be thriving. Conserving Natura 2000 Rivers 2. Complain about this comment (Comment number 19). They have been heard early last week at at midnight, so hopefully we may get to see them again soon.Video footage and a couple of still shots were taken and can bee seen on flickr. 8: Stay aware. Can otters use tools? And like human parents, otter parents are juggling enough as it is with their pups -- they don't have time to juggle rocks. A family of river otters at night. Daily activities focus on feeding and grooming, interspersed with rest periods. While visiting Bodenham Lake (SO525515 28/02/10), my sister and I were treated to a mother and her two cubs walking/ swimming past the hide.It was about 10.30am and they had been annoying the ducks while skirting the edge of the lake, it felt like such a privilege to see them so close to the hide. Fun Facts About Otter. Complain about this comment (Comment number 33). An Otter can remain under water for up to 4 minutes. Through education, research, influencing policy and partner working the IOSF is making progress but there is still much to be done here in the UK and other countries where otters are at risk. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Complain about this comment (Comment number 34). Complain about this comment (Comment number 8), Hi On the river stourLNR Bournemouth Dorset we have been seeing and taking their pictures for awhile now.The usual time we see them is when the river is abit higher then normal and the time of day has been about mid-morning & mid-afternoon.There are some pictures on the Stour Valley Supporters website.Great show CU, Complain about this comment (Comment number 9), I have seen three otters at leighton moss n r in the lakes lots of times this year. We were also lucky to see a kingfisher at the same time swim up river and then up a small side stream opposite us. Coastal otters are sometimes called ‘sea otters’, but they are exactly the same species as the animals that live further inland. Otters are most active at night. Instead an adult otter came downstream and then came out of the water on a gravel spit no more than three metres away from me and paused before swimming downstream. What a moment! The exceptions are Antarctica and Australia. Please tell us by commenting below. To me otters always seem to be going somewhere in particular, on a mission, a rendezvous with the right fish at the right time. The oldest recorded otter reached around 12 years of age, but this is exceptional. Otters are not geared, like raccoons, minks and me, for just roaming looking for things. They tend to leave humans alone so they aren’t a threat if you happen to come upon one. The otter is lithe and slender with short legs, a strong neck, and a long flat tail that helps propel it gracefully through water. I wonder if anyone else has seen any otters near this location. Otters have five claws so it’s easy to tell an otter footprint from most other animals. Cubs are usually born in a holt in a bank, or between rocks or tree roots. Males weigh up to 90 lbs. Complain about this comment (Comment number 11). In other years I have seen them and once saw the mother playing in the water with her kits about 10:00 am for ages. Complain about this comment (Comment number 25), I live in Tintern and we have otters in the River Wye. at times about 100 ft away .mere so in the middle of the pool, Complain about this comment (Comment number 10). Speak to you next month! It just shuffled across the road in front of our car in the traffic procession at the start of the rush hour here. How lucky are we? During these months, otters come out and try catching the salmons in the waterfalls. Otters are active hunters, chasing prey in the water or searching the beds of rivers, lakes or the seas. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Their small heads widen to long necks and shoulders, and they have flattened, well-muscled tails. Sea otters can live up to 23 years in the wild. Complain about this comment (Comment number 27). The fact that young and old otters juggle more frequently could suggest that the juggle behavior evolves over time in otters, acting as developmental behavior when they're young and maintaining brain activity in the oldest otters. 22/7/2010 - Today I was feeding some ducks on the Calder & Hebble navigation just outside Sowerby Bridge when one of them was pulled under the water from below "jaws" style. They have a streamlined and cylindrical muscular tail and webbed feet. It was a youngish otter, not full sized. We also have Kingfishers and one of my favorites Dippers. Regularly see them during walks with the dogs (!) Most people find the Otter to be a friendly looking creature. - fossicking about in the rocks near my village in Ross-shire, Highlands.Also used to have a huge dog otter sit on my garden wall to sun himself when I lived in Shetland! Today, the species is flourishing across Scotland, and recovering well across the UK as waterways are cleaned up. I've seen otters in the River Teifi at Cardigan Town bridge and further up river in the Teifi Marshes Wildlife Centre 8 times over the last year. Photo Courtesy of Tim Brown. They have a thick padding of fat in the cheek area to prevent serious injury from any of their prey animals. One of the most active feeding times is early morning as the sun rises and warms up insects, making it easier for insectivorous birds to forage. We were also lucky to see a kingfisher at the same time swim up river and then up a small side stream opposite us. Doing so may change otter behaviour patterns and will be VERY detrimental to the species. Our advice for spotting otters is to wrap up warm, pack a camping chair, a picnic, a flask of tea, your favourite book and settle down in one of these beautiful spots. Otters are closely related to badgers. Clawless otters are mainly nocturnal, though some individuals may be active during the day in remote areas that are free of human disturbance. Get ready for some awesome otter facts and photos. Otter Habitat and Behavior: Otters are found on almost every continent. We have Otters for sale and many other exotic animals. An adult otter will be … Sea otters are generally diurnal. Chris and Kate saw a mother and cubs in broad daylight, https://www.flickr.com/photos/erik_jensen1/4578576834/, Winterwatch: Share your stories, questions and photos, Winterwatch: Celebrating the best of our winter wildlife. Please remain aware of how the otter is behaving. Otters are very playful: Don’t be surprised when you see otters happily sliding. Sigh. Meet the Otters: 12:00pm – 12:30pm. In order to address this problem we need to produce more education material, particularly for young people. We have not seen them for a few weeks but saw them on about 4 occasions whilst walking on the river footpath. Otters can live in most places where there is a rocky shoreline and nearby freshwater, but these tips collated by Joe Gibb – with the help of otter aficionado Roger Cottis – will help give you the greatest chance of spotting an otter in the wild. Up a small side stream opposite us otters reported when are otters most active uk Calderdale, but a great picture in our.. Front of our local fellows has lots of bats skimming the water with her about! Breed at 2 years old just under a mile of the year and females give birth to 2 3! And severe habitat loss and hunting have brought many populations of other otter species come ashore to birth... 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