Otters

Otter by Bernard Landgraf

The Highlands and Islands have the highest populations of otters in the UK. The Eurasian otter is rare down in England but if you are lucky or patient you are could well whilst out walking on the Highlands coastline or on the Islands - they are thrilling to watch. You are more likely to see them swimming near the coast than on land. On land you can look for the distinctive otter spraint marks. These are otter droppings usually white from the high fish bone content, and forming small fertile mounds of bright green small grass. These sites are used to mark territory and provide a form of communication to other otters through smell. You can often trace the regular routes taken by an otter by following from one spraint marking to the next. You are most likely to see an otter on land at dawn or dusk and you may well see one while driving around the island but take care as they have very little road sense and traffic accidents is one of the biggest threats to the otter population here.

In the water otters can often be identified by the V-shaped wake just behind them as they swim with only the front of their head visible. Expert swimmers, they dive for food, a favourite being fish from the seabed. They also eat birds, small mammals, frogs and crabs. They have an acute sense of smell, sight and hearing and will often disappear if they become aware of your presence.

Otters tend to live alone, although cubs will stay with their mother for between 11 and 15 months. They are often larger than people expect with an adult being between 1 and 1.3 metres in length and weighing 7-9 kg. Sometimes you may see something in the water and dismiss it as a seal, but it is often worth having a look with binoculars in case it is an otter.

Otters can be seen almost anywhere around Highlands coastline, but spotting them is a question of luck and patience. They are rarely seen, although present, further inland.

However the following walks are known otter habitats;

On the Isle of Skye:

Rubha Hunish, Irishman’s Point, Rubha Arnish, and Kylerhea Otter haven which has a purpose built hide, are all good for otter-spotting. The Bright Water Centre in Kyleakin has lots of information about otters and other wildlife and you can take a trip to Eilean Ban, the island out in the Kyle straits where Gavin Maxwell (author of Ring of Bright Water) lived for a time; there is now a museum there and otter hides.

Kintail

Across the water from Kylerhea is Glenelg, another of Britain's best otter spotting areas: Sandaig is where Gavin Maxwell lived with his pet otters, immortalised as Camusfearna in Ring of Bright Water. The Corran Coast is another great walk for otter-watchers.

See our forum to record your wildlife sightings.

Photo by Bernard Landgraf reproduced under GNU FDL.