• Did you know that Otters virtually disappeared from British rivers in the 1950s?
• Did you know that otters are coming back to our Yorkshire’s rivers?

We are delighted to have an expert to answer these and all the other important questions about otters. Andrew is an ecologist whose current role is working to assess and reduce the impacts of renewable energy projects on wildlife populations. Andrew will tell us about the recent history of otter distribution in Calderdale and the creation of the Calderdale Otter Project.

We will learn about the biology and ecology of otters, the issues that caused their European decline and about their ongoing recovery in the UK and how that may be impacted by current and future threats. Eurasian otters are apex predators in the freshwater ecosystems of the UK. However, as recent as 50 years ago they were all but extinct in England, with remaining populations confined to the southwest of England and the Welsh borders.

Andrew has a long interest in most wildlife, although otters are a personal favourite of his. He also has an interest in Geographic Information System mapping software and how this can be used in local citizen science projects to improve our knowledge of wildlife populations and aid local conservation.

Finally, he will then explain the findings of the 2024 Calderdale-wide otter distribution survey.

Come and enjoy a wildlife success story. Next time you go for a walk near a local river, we know that Andrew’s talk will have you scanning the river bank for signs of an otter. You might even spot one!

Roger Gill

As the audience gathered for this sell-out event, devoted to one of nature’s most charismatic characters, there was a bubbly atmosphere in the room. The sense of anticipation was palpable because, as our Chair Mike Tull said in his witty thanks at the end: ‘Where else can you spend a Saturday evening enjoying finding out about otter poo?’ How delightful, we thought, to be in an audience which asks the speaker to replay a video in which an otter sniffs another otter’s spraints!

Andy captured our attention from the very beginning with his distinctly poetic language associated with an otter’s milk chocolate brown coat, their holts, couches, and spraints. He presented himself as a quiet, unassuming speaker who skilfully waved a wand over his audience to make them all devotees of this marvellous creature. We learned that his enthusiasm and dogged dedication lay behind The Calderdale Otter Project, which he and his team conducted with such passion but without any external funding or support. Here were amateur nature lovers who just wanted to share their knowledge and findings, which they did magnificently.

We were reminded about Gavin Maxwell’s 1960’s best seller, The Ring of Bright Water, featuring an otter called Mijbil, as well the more recent 2024 National Geographic film called Billy and Molly: an otter love story. Both examples of how otters can capture the imagination of audiences around the world. Later, we sat briefly in silent awe when an audience member related catching sight of an otter for five seconds from his window in Cliviger.

Factually, we learned about the mechanics of the Otter Project: the background, the framework, its findings and conclusions. All comprehensively compared and contrasted to a similar study in Spain. Questions from the audience were taken wisely at regular intervals and not left until the end because, as we discovered, there were so many eager contributions that there would have been a log jam after the talk ended.

When all the questions were asked and the fascinating content was imparted, we were left brooding over this intriguing animal that, in the UK, is one of 13 types in the world, is an apex predator, needs about 1.5kg of fish or crustacea daily, is promiscuous, can breed at any time of the year, is shy, and is a high-status success in terms of reintroduction into the wild. We even saw a short video by Matt Bell, an audience member and local naturalist, who released two orphaned otters back into the wild. The way they frolicked playfully, in and out of a water tank, made many in the room squeal with delight.

By the end of this spellbinding talk, we had absorbed Andy’s list of otter field signs. We had become prospective amateur sleuths in looking for: footprints, spraints, tracks, traits, slides, holts, couches and feeding remains. We could detect a spraint by its whiff of jasmine tea or appearance of cigar ash, in its latter stages of decay, and follow the track of tear-shaped footprints with their distinctive five-toed impressions. Andy’s excellent maps showed how the banks of the River Calder, passing through Hebden Bridge, were the main spotting sites. This made us all the more excited until were learned that it was the second most polluted river in the country. Nevertheless, we left ready to be far more knowledgeable about, and observant of, otter evidence on our walks thanks to this splendid talk by Andy and his dedicated volunteers.

Anyone with information and/or further questions, or donations can contact Andy and his team on calderdaleotters@outlook.com or by mobile on 07729 548305.