king 11,664 Posted August 27, 2018 Report Share Posted August 27, 2018 15 minutes ago, peterhunter86 said: I seen one years ago out lamping but only for a second or two about 15 years ago,my mate seen one the same stretch of the canal a few weeks ago he said it walked right passed him he said it was a big Cnut and he shit himself i think i read that they move into an area when the water gets cleaner im not sure if its right though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
forest of dean redneck 11,190 Posted August 28, 2018 Report Share Posted August 28, 2018 I watched a program on urban wildlife last night think dad recorded it on sky tv ? they dipped a stretch of the Thames and had a flat fish and sea bass fry . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wildman 374 Posted August 28, 2018 Report Share Posted August 28, 2018 11 hours ago, mackem said: The thames is clean enough for otters mate,but those pics were taken in sunderland on the river wear.Loads of parakeets round here mate,thousands. No need to have shot one mack just to prove it we believe ya 1 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Greyman 25,258 Posted August 28, 2018 Report Share Posted August 28, 2018 Otters are now in every county in England, that's official, but 99 percent are captive bred released animals, I,ve seen 4 live otters in the last 10 years but probably twice that many road casualty,s, the rewilding lobby now seem to be onto polecats which suddenly seem to be appearing in big numbers squashed on roads the length of England plus quite a few live ones at night on the cameras , I think the pine Martin is there next preditor of choice, 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
C.green 3,203 Posted August 28, 2018 Report Share Posted August 28, 2018 Seen what i think is a pair of otters couple times. What clever brazen little fuckers they can be. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gnipper 5,947 Posted August 28, 2018 Report Share Posted August 28, 2018 An otter popped up locally recently and they haven't been round here in a very long time, it's in an area with about 7 fisheries all close together so I don't think it will have been welcomed with open arms. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Greyman 25,258 Posted August 28, 2018 Report Share Posted August 28, 2018 14 hours ago, mackem said: Call it a feeling,but something tells me I could live to the ripe old age of 101 and I will never see a pic showing a genuine 100% born wild in the UK puma or leopard,a recent escapee maybe but nothing born and bred in the wild I would call that a very safe bet, but not because there not out there, Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Greyman 25,258 Posted August 28, 2018 Report Share Posted August 28, 2018 2 hours ago, gnipper said: An otter popped up locally recently and they haven't been round here in a very long time, it's in an area with about 7 fisheries all close together so I don't think it will have been welcomed with open arms. A lot of the road casualty,s that pop up around the country have actually had an accident near or in a fishery and been placed on the road to make it look like a traffic accident, one very well known carp water I no of have had 6 run over right outside the gate in recent years, but there has been lies and deception on both sides as no official release program has been admitted to yet I no of at least one road casualty that had a chip in it from the RSPCA at west hatch near Taunton, man playing god again, the main benefit I,ve seen from otters is they absolutely wipe out any mink as soon as they move in and water voles are making a good comeback as a result 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Daniel cain 42,873 Posted August 28, 2018 Report Share Posted August 28, 2018 7 minutes ago, Greyman said: A lot of the road casualty,s that pop up around the country have actually had an accident near or in a fishery and been placed on the road to make it look like a traffic accident, one very well known carp water I no of have had 6 run over right outside the gate in recent years, but there has been lies and deception on both sides as no official release program has been admitted to yet I no of at least one road casualty that had a chip in it from the RSPCA at west hatch near Taunton, man playing god again, the main benefit I,ve seen from otters is they absolutely wipe out any mink as soon as they move in and water voles are making a good comeback as a result Used to hunt and catch a few mink every season on our local river, they released otters about 5 yrs ago and not seen or heard of any mink since..... Seems alot end up sunbathing outside fisheries lol. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mackem 23,782 Posted August 28, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2018 45 minutes ago, Greyman said: I would call that a very safe bet, but not because there not out there, I could make that bet on any animal living wild in the british isles in the sure knowledge I would lose,but mountain lion and leopard its a safe bet? 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
scothunter 12,609 Posted August 28, 2018 Report Share Posted August 28, 2018 4 hours ago, C.green said: Seen what i think is a pair of otters couple times. What clever brazen little fuckers they can be. See a pair of them often and yea they are pretty Brazent. Also bigger than I expected. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Born Hunter 17,638 Posted August 28, 2018 Report Share Posted August 28, 2018 47 minutes ago, scothunter said: See a pair of them often and yea they are pretty Brazent. Also bigger than I expected. I saw my first Otter at Loch Linnhe. The Witham where I grew up and still frequent is supposed to be full of them now. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Deker 3,453 Posted August 28, 2018 Report Share Posted August 28, 2018 Lots of Otters on the Thames from Reading to the source, some apparently sighted nearer London as well! Parakeets almost arrived at Reading as well, I've seen them get closer and closer over the years and they are literally about a mile away now! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Greyman 25,258 Posted August 28, 2018 Report Share Posted August 28, 2018 42 minutes ago, Born Hunter said: I saw my first Otter at Loch Linnhe. The Witham where I grew up and still frequent is supposed to be full of them now. If you see them swimming around in a group during daylight it's normally a sign they are captive bred as a wild dog otter is a pretty solitary animal and will kill any other dog in his territory, (normally around 10 kilometres square) he will have around 3-4 females within that territory that he will service but other than that anyone else will be driven out or killed, SCOT a good size dog can be around 40lb in weight bite as hard as a badger with the speed of a weasel, it's a formidable foe and back in the day was considered a harder test for a terrier than a badger 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Greyman 25,258 Posted August 28, 2018 Report Share Posted August 28, 2018 4 minutes ago, Deker said: Lots of Otters on the Thames from Reading to the source, some apparently sighted nearer London as well! Parakeets almost arrived at Reading as well, I've seen them get closer and closer over the years and they are literally about a mile away now! Head of the Thames runs through an estate on the Cotswolds called lower mill, they have been breeding and releasing otters for years and are also responsible for the small population of beavers that now inhabit the Cotswold water park area, Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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