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First otter ever recorded on Farne Islands

21/11/2008 10:09:09

Otter print on the Farne Islands. Credit NTPL

UK Otter facts

Until recently, you would have been lucky to see signs of otters in England and Wales where the population crashed due to the toxic effects of pollution in our rivers in the 1950s and 1960s. But with cleaner rivers the otter is making a welcome recovery.
Otters are usually active at dusk and during the night. They can sometimes be seen in daylight hours but they're usually resting in a holt, which is a burrow found in the river bank, or rocky shores.
The number of otters found on rivers in southern and central England declined dramatically in the 1950s and 1960s but has been steadily recovering since the 1970s. In a recent survey in England they were found at more than 30% of the sites searched, compared to only 6% in the late 1970s.
Otters are listed as Vulnerable by the 2000 IUCN Red List.

Otter crosses 3 miles of sea to reach Farne Islands

November 2008. An otter has braved storm force gales and the strong currents of the North Sea to make the three mile journey to reach Brownsman, one of the Farne Islands. This is the first recorded sighting of an otter on the Farne Islands, which are three miles off the Northumberland coast.

David Steel, National Trust Head Warden on the Farne Islands, said: "It is staggering that an otter could survive the perilous journey out to the Farne Islands, especially Brownsman, which is along way from the mainland. We almost had to rub our eyes with disbelief when we discovered the tracks; we've recently had force nine gales and it can be tricky to reach the Islands even on a relatively calm day, which makes this otters journey a little bit special."

Agitated gulls
The otter tracks, which stretch for sixty metres, were discovered in a muddy path on Brownsman. Wardens on the Island are yet to see the otter but the agitated behaviour of the gulls suggests that it is still living on Brownsman and the outer group of Islands.

In England and Wales otters are normally found living on rivers and they can be found on coastal sites in Scotland. Northumberland has a healthy population of otters living on the major rivers and tributaries and this new addition to the Farne Islands will have made its way from one of these.

80,000 sea birds
The Farne Islands is best known as a home to more than 80,000 seabirds, including the famous puffins, and a healthy population of grey seals.

David Steel continued: "This is the first time that an otter has been recorded on the Farne Islands. We have no idea how long it might stay but the rocky Islands offer it a safe place to live and it should be able to find an abundance of food."

Paul Chanin of The Mammal Society, who has written two books on otters and studied their recovery in England, added: "This is a really exciting discovery. We know that otter like living on the coasts where there is food available and will sometimes travel to islands but to find them so far off shore shows that they have a remarkable ability as navigators."

More about the Farne Islands

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