Otters? Surrey Wildlife Trust Gets The Picture That Confirms They Are Back

Published on: 25 Jun, 2013
Updated on: 25 Jun, 2013

An otter photographed by ‘trigger cam’ at night somewhere by the River Wey – Photo Surrey Wildlife Trust.

Dani Maimone reports on the first photographic evidence that otters have returned to our county.

Otters have returned to Surrey. This exciting news is confirmed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust (SWT) that has captured photographic evidence.

The proof  follows claims that an adult otter with two pups were seen on the River Wey earlier in the spring.

Jim Jones, wetland landscapes officer for Surrey Wildlife Trust, said, “I was thrilled to see we had finally caught on camera one of the otters I had seen with my own eyes, concrete evidence of the otter’s return to Surrey.

“I’ll be continuing to follow their natural recolonisation, helping them along by working with land-owners and river users to improve river habitats, and hope that soon breeding otters will be a more common phenomenon. After the recent State of Nature report, which highlighted dramatic falls in biodiversity, this is such good news for Surrey wildlife.”

Otters, like this one, have not been spotted in the county since the 1960s – Photo Nicholas Armitt.

Otters have not been seen in the county since the 1960s, so it’s highly significant that they are making a return.

Formerly widespread throughout the UK, otters suffered a rapid decline from the 1950s through to the 1970s, principally owing to the widespread use of agricultural organo-chlorine pesticides used in sheep dip.

With the gradual phasing out of these chemicals after 1975, otters have made a slow recovery assisted by improved water quality and habitat restoration. SWT has been working hard for many years to encourage otters back into the county.

I was privileged to accompany Jim and Aaron Mason a few weeks ago, as they checked and relocated special weatherproof hidden cameras along the riverbank in search of the photographic proof they were after. I was recording events that day for my monthly Surrey wildlife slot on Brooklands Radio called a Walk on the Wild Side.

Jim and Aaron at work on the otter survey – Photo Dani Maimone.

We met at a secret location and I was slightly alarmed to see Jim and Aaron armed with a machete and a mallet. “Are otters that dangerous I enquired jokingly?” It was soon apparent that the tools in hand were for the amazing amount of undergrowth that had sprouted up over the last couple of months. With the delayed spring, it was as if everything has decided to grow simultaneously.

Aaron, a PhD computer technology student from the University of Surrey has designed a research project that involves computer science and photography. It is his Wildsense photographic IT project using unobtrusive cameras that has enabled Surrey Wildlife Trust to capture the otter images.

He calls it a ‘citizens science project,’ meaning that people are contributing to the science with their findings. It’s an alternative way of tracking wildlife without the need for using radio collars. Aaron said: “It’s really exciting to be involved with SWT for such an important project. I am very pleased that Wildsense is proving effective and making an impact.”

It had been several weeks since Jim had seen the otters for himself. What he needed to do next was monitor the site in the hope that this wasn’t just a one off. Easier said than done.

Aaron sets up a ‘trigger cam’ – Photo Dani Maimone.

It’s not that straight forward knowing exactly where to point the camera and in the intervening weeks the undergrowth had sprouted so dramatically along certain parts of the river it had obscured the lenses and any hope of getting a decent shot of passing otters.

Jim and Aaron chopped the long grass and carefully repositioned several cameras along the river bank, a move that paid off. Within a matter of days SWT had its first photographs of otters in the county.

Key to the success of the otter recovery is people: everyone has a role to play. Landowners can manage their land in an otter-friendly way, while fishermen, canoeists and walkers can be the eyes and ears of the river, looking out for otter signs. And all of us can use water wisely to help keep our rivers healthy.

This beautiful photo of a swan with her cygnets was captured by Dani Maimone when she accompanied Aaron and Jim on their riverside project.

Surrey Wildlife Trust recently launched a new volunteer training programme – RiverSearch on behalf of the Wey Landscape Partnership. RiverSearch is designed to enable volunteers to collect information which will help improve the health of our rivers.

Volunteers adopt a stretch of river and are taught how to conduct ‘walkovers’ to record problems affecting the river such as bank erosion and pollution and record signs of otters and water voles. This information can then be used by the partnership to find solutions and to design new projects.

RiverSearch volunteers have already been out surveying for otters this year and will be a vital component in mapping the otters return to Surrey and improving the health of our rivers for the benefit of all their users. If you are interested in learning more contact the project officer at: riversearch@surreywildlifetrust.org.

You can also tune in to listen to Jim and Aaron on the otter survey with Dani Maimone on Brooklands Radio at www.brooklandsradio.co.uk on Thursday,  July 4 from 1.30pm.

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