Getting otter in the winter
THESE fabulous photos of an otter were taken along Hungerford’s waterways.
The photographer, Newbury Weekly News reader and wildlife enthusiast Neil Brailsford, snapped them on a tributary of the River Kennet near the town.
He said: “I was out doing my photography after hearing reports from friends that they possibly saw them in the river.
“Then I heard the high-pitched squeaks from the cubs and adults in the bushes and bankside – and then saw the telltale trail of ripples and air bubbles as they hunted fish under water.”
For photographers, the pictures were taken using a Canon 100400mm with Mk2 lens.
Wildlife lovers have reported spotting the shy creatures in the River Dun near Hungerford in recent years. An Environment Agency report revealed that the faint splash of an otter gently entering a river, once feared to be lost to England forever, is now increasingly common.
The mammals almost disappeared from England in the 1970s due to the toxic effects of pesticides, but conservation projects to clean up waterways have had a positive impact.
Adult otters are solitary, nomadic creatures and very territorial. About 80 per cent of their diet is fish of which they eat around 1kg per day.
They have a particular preference for eels, but will also eat frogs, toads, crayfish, waterfowl and even small mammals.
During the daytime they lie in secure resting sites, usually among tree roots or dense scrub.