Are otters habitually attracted to outdoor ponds? Do otters invade towns? (1 Viewer)

[Avon Avians]

Hello folks!
I have a question concerning outdoor ponds and otters.

We had considered building a pond in our yard for ornamental purposes as well as to attract wildlife.
Whether or not we stock the pond with fish is really dependent on the wildlife we intend to attract.
Ponds without fish seem to attract the most amphibians, while ponds with fish seem to attract more herons and kingfishers.
We live near a river, and have an abundance of herons of kingfishers around our town.
Because of this, I suppose that there isn't a high chance that we could stock the pond with expensive fish.

However, we also have a red-eared slider turtle, and I had occasionally considered moving her to an outdoor pond.
I do not believe that herons or kingfishers would bother a turtle of her size, as she is a mature slider, with an 8" carapace length.
However, I do know that river otters would kill even a large turtle.
There happens to be a pond not very far from our house, and we've seen a river otter foraging in it.
However, our town is sort of suburban, and I'm not sure if an otter would venture into our yard under normal circumstances.

However, I could be wrong. If otters do venture around in towns, then I would certainly not house our red-eared slider outside.
But anyway, has anyone had any experience with otters in their ponds, particularly near towns? Is it normal, or a rare occurrence?
Also, do otters have any special ability that allows them to locate ponds or foraging grounds, or do they just wander around in search of them?
I'm open to information regarding Eurasian otters, although our local species is the North American river otter.
Any input would be appreciated. Thanks! God bless!

 

[Mono]

Can't speak for North American otters but in the UK otters will raid garden ponds for fish. The ponds do need to be in areas where wild otters occur but otters will travel over 1 km overnight using often very small waterways to venture into town and cities.

Regarding stocking ponds with fish the usual guidelines are that unless the pond is very big you are better off without fish. Fish will clear out the invertebrate population and disrupt the base of the food chain. A more biodiverse pond will attract more birds. The same applies for turtles they will clear out a pond.

 

[Avon Avians]

Can't speak for North American otters but in the UK otters will raid garden ponds for fish. The ponds do need to be in areas where wild otters occur but otters will travel over 1 km overnight using often very small waterways to venture into town and cities.

Regarding stocking ponds with fish the usual guidelines are that unless the pond is very big you are better off without fish. Fish will clear out the invertebrate population and disrupt the base of the food chain. A more biodiverse pond will attract more birds. The same applies for turtles they will clear out a pond.

Otters venture into cities?
I definitely wouldn't say we live in a city. It's more of a suburban town.
We have water near where we live. Occasionally, we'll see a heron fly by our house, or hear a flock of geese overhead.
In fact, we saw an otter in a pond only a couple of miles away from our house.

Will a fishless pond still attract herons, kingfishers, and, well, otters?

 

[rosbifs]

Otters venture into cities?
I definitely wouldn't say we live in a city. It's more of a suburban town.
We have water near where we live. Occasionally, we'll see a heron fly by our house, or hear a flock of geese overhead.
In fact, we saw an otter in a pond only a couple of miles away from our house.

Will a fishless pond still attract herons, kingfishers, and, well, otters?

looks like you've answered yourself - you could get an otter