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FARM DIARY

OTTERS

Otter

About Otters

Otters are semi-aquatic mammals and are superbly adapted to their environment having webbed feet and sensitive whiskers to locate prey in murky water. Their diet consists mostly of fish, especially eels, but birds, amphibians and small mammals will occasionally be taken. Otters are dependent on rivers but can be found living in reedbeds, lakes and on the coast. Otters live in underground 'holts' or other resting sites in dense riverbank vegetation or reedbeds. The 'holts' are often formed from tree roots on the riverbank. An individual otter can have up to 30 of these resting sites and only the most secure will be used as a breeding den.

Otters long-term survival is still threatened by a number of factors that include:

  • Pollution of watercourses, which can make long stretches of rivers unsuitable for otters through the loss of vital food supplies.
  • Habitat loss often through the drainage of wetlands and removal, and over grazing of riverbank vegetation.
  • Road traffic accidents often occurring as otters move between watercourses.
  • Disturbance from increasing recreational activities on our wetlands

In recent years otters have started to re-colonise many streams and rivers in Wales. However, a lack of dense cover and suitable sites to lie up during the daytime is thought to be slowing the process of re-establishment.

The most common method of improving the habitat for otters is to fence off the riverbank allowing bankside vegetation to grow up in the absence of grazing stock. This habitat provides cover for otters and benefits a range of species from water voles through to reed buntings. Provision of an artificial otter holt can enhance this still further.

As part of the Tir Gofal scheme we have fenced 700 metres to create a streamside corridor and are building and a log pile holt to provide a secure resting place for any passing otter.

Log pile otter holt

Constructing an artificial holt

Location.

  • Build close to the waters edge, where otters can easily climb the bank
  • Choose a site which has minimal disturbance from humans and dogs

Materials

  • 20 - 25 logs about 1 metre long and 30 - 40cm in diameter
  • A quantity of fairly straight poles, and tree branches, about 3 - 10cm in diameter x 3 metres long. (Any shorter poles can be used to infill gaps.)
  • Brashings - large amounts of small branches from hedgerows or coniferous trees.

Larger timber should preferably be taken from fallen trees or trees thinned as part of a planned woodland management programme.

Construction.

Construction takes place in three stages. The aim is to provide several dark and dry interconnecting chambers. The overall shape depends upon the site and can be rectangular, square or circular.

  • Place the logs to form 6 - 8 chambers of about 1 square metre each. Leave gaps about 15 - 20cm wide as entrances. One or two entrances should be immediately at the waters edge with other entrances on the landward sides.
  • Place the poles across the chambers to form the roof. Fill in gaps with small pieces of wood to make the chambers darker and more weather proof.
  • Pile the brashings on top to completely hide the logs and poles and leave the chambers dry and dark. Branches should lie flat and be packed down. Lay branch stems inwards with the smaller branches/fronds overlapping the logs and poles to form an outer fringe.

If the site is liable to flooding, stretch sheep netting over brashings and stake the netting down on both sides of the holt. Place more brashings on top to hide the wire.