Watch Queue Queue Artificial otter holts provide safe refuge, encouraging otters to recolonise and breed in areas of waterways where there is little or no otter activity present. Carefully sited and constructed artificial holts may encourage otters to recolonise and breed along stretches of waterways from which they are at present absent. My Exciting 2019 project…..Building an Otter Holt! otter holts, with large gnarled root systems and open spaces, and as a short-term measure the construction of artificial holts is to be encouraged. An artificial otter holt has been installed at Coldham Farm, in Cambridgeshire, after evidence was found that the animals had been around the riverbank. Artificial holts should be located where there is little natural cover, since an otter will probably resting sites in preference to man made ones. This video is unavailable. The Habitat Heroes project aims to make adaptations to six Co-operative-owned farms across the country in order to safeguard endangered species such as water voles, bats and red squirrels.
An artificial holt may be created as replacement or compensation for disturbance to existing otter habitats. Whilst individual otters rarely dig their own holts they will use burrows made by other animals such as rabbits and foxes. Inspection of Artificial Otter Holts in the Allow Catchment Kieran Murphy, Tomasz Siekaniec October 2012 Introduction: The Otter (Lutra lutra) has been listed on Annex II and Annex IV of the EU Habitats Directive (CEC, 1992) and Appendix II of the Berne Convention (Council of Europe, 1979). Artificial otter holt on a Welsh river bank.
If we exclude floating and raft holts there are two basic otter holt designs that are widely used; a log-pile holt made from cut or However, the criteria for selecting sites are, as yet, poorly investigated. Share. Otters are fully protected in British law and any development which affects otter habitat can require a European Protected Species Licence under the provisions of the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010 (as amended).
An otter survey is required if development will affect habitats, such as rivers, streams, lakes or wetlands, where otters are present. Posted at 14:20h in Ecology Oxford, Mitigation and Management, Protected Species by rowena. Working in conjunction with Hanson Aggregates Ltd and the RSPB, BSG Ecology staff have created an otter holt at a gravel pit in Oxfordshire. Artificial Otter Holts Whether as compensation for loss of habitat due to development works or as a wildlife enhancement measure, artificial otter holts provide added cover along river banks where other suitable habitat locations have been lost or are lacking. We are not sure what it consists of, but it has been used as a day holt in the past. We are not sure what it consists of, but it has been used as a day holt in the past.
This can be done in a variety of ways, using a variety of materials, such as logs, rough stones, breezeblocks, bricks and plastic pipes. This Otter Holt is made from recycled plastics, enhancing durability and environmental friendliness. Otter Holt Creation. There is a basic artificial holt at this filming spot, although it is very close to the water level, so floods regularly. With more than twenty years of experience of dealing with otters our fully licenced ecologists are uniquely placed for helping clients when otters are involved. An artificial otter holt can be made in a variety of shapes and styles, using a range of materials from pre-fabricated recycled-plastic units, pallets, cut timber, to locally sourced logs and branches. It is possible to build artificial holts … There is a basic artificial holt at this filming spot, although it is very close to the water level, so floods regularly. We have males and females visiting this part of the bank just about every week to spraint. Where to build them: Careful site selection is required to avoid unnecessary wastage of effort and money. These natural recesses provide the otter with a holt that has multiple entrances from which the otter can escape if disturbed. ... Our ecologists can also provide design and construction for compensation methods, such as artificial otter holts and habitat creation to compensate for those that are lost.