otters

[byron 1,190]

spotted some otter tracks on a tidle river near me, last couple of weeks been sat about looking /listening no luck as yet. heard they travel a bit, any idea;s cheers byron

[mavphill 0]

A pair of otters can hold a territory up to 20 miles, they will also move latterally from rivers as well as up and down stream especially where large streams flow into rivers. We recently had a definite sighting in my part of the world on a river that had no otters for many years. In England and Wales they are mainly nocturnal but around the coast of Scotland you can see them in daylight. A good place to look for spraint is under bridges and conduits or by large boulders. I was involved in some research a few years ago and it was found that best the historical information about otter populations was found in the records kept by local otter hunts.

[Guest MOLLY]

There is a large man made lake with man mad holts somewhere for otters in Northumberland. It was featured on Extinct ITV over a week ago but i did'nt catch the name of it. It has hides set up for the public to watch them....does anyone know its name/location?

MOLL.

[Big bald beautiful 1,231]

Taken from an internet site

 

All the river catchments in the National Park have otters on them and signs are easy to see if you look in the right places. Their droppings or 'spraint' containing fish bones, scales, amphibian bones and in some places crayfish remains, can be found on rocks at the edges of rivers and burns and particularly around bridge abutments or where a tributary joins the main burn. They are remarkably pleasant smelling (for an animal's excretion!) a little like a cross between fish paste and jasmine tea! Footprints can also be seen in some places – look out for a 5-toed print with webbing.

 

These signs indicate where an otter has been and if you find a lot they are probably there quite often, however otters on river catchments can have large ranges so it is never certain where they may be. For that reason I can't really point to a place in the National Park where you will definitely see them although the River Breamish around Ingram is a good place for signs. Outside the National Park, otters have been seen fairly regularly at Big Waters Nature Reserve, a site owned by the Northumberland Wildlife Trust 1 km west of Seaton Burn north of Newcastle. They have also been spotted by anglers fairly regularly at Tyne Green in Hexham. The key is waiting silently in one place and even if you don't see an otter you may see all kinds of other interesting riverine wildlife.

 

Good Luck!

 

Gill

[J Darcy 5,871]

I have very recently found otter sptraint close to me on a small beck, but never actually seen them. I have found the "false drains" put in by the otter peopel and they are a joke and badley sited. One on the very smae stream filled with silt on the first hint of high water and is now totaly filled in!!! the other overhangs a sheer drop by about 3 foot and theres no way an otter would use such a thing i should imagine, unless it could fly! lol.

[FOXHUNTER 5,021]

I have seen a live otter at Carter Bar and also at Lockerbie

[brock 11]

i saw one while fishing the river usk one day,back last year

[THE STIFFMEISTER 16,351]

Wel I am afraid to piss on peoples chips but I have seen them quite regular where i live..I too See them at Lockerbie and lads round here regularly see them on the lamp!!!!

[whin 463]

when we used to sleep on the nets, so as not to get riaded by other fisherman poachrs etcyou would here them ,plopping in the river plus if you had a torch you would see them ,lamped several over the last ten yrs some people still treat them as vermin ,was lamping round biggar one night saw a big dog otter nice beastie ,plenty seals localy thats another story there was a few families of them up near gifford and surrounding fisheries but they seemed to have moved on or shot ,

[Aled 518]

They are very numerous in my part of Wales (Tywi Valley) i see one every night fishing sea trout trip i go on. They don't half make you jump when they pop their heads out of the water next to you!!! :11:

Cheers

Aled

[skinnyrat 0]

otters are nice..but i couldnt eat a whole one

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

Many artificial holts are put in by well meaning people but always sited too low and are flooded in winter .Ive seen a litter of fox cubs born in one locally which must happen regularly .Never found sign of the many otters released around us .

[J Darcy 5,871]

well,theres a way to putting the drains in....these fools that think they put them in for the otters often use the plastic pipe, which i dont beleive is much good. They have them horizontal their full length to. The entrances should be angled downwards and that way they wont get filled with silt and the usual crap....so i hear :whistle:

[mavphill 0]

when we used to sleep on the nets, so as not to get riaded by other fisherman poachrs etcyou would here them ,plopping in the river plus if you had a torch you would see them ,lamped several over the last ten yrs some people still treat them as vermin ,was lamping round biggar one night saw a big dog otter nice beastie ,plenty seals localy thats another story there was a few families of them up near gifford and surrounding fisheries but they seemed to have moved on or shot ,

why would otters be treated as vermin?

[whin 463]

eating fish farm trout or trout fisheries makeing fish scarce, clandenstine keepers who shoot any thing that moves i could go on, use your head mate and think why do they shoot falcons pioson birds etc