Would an otter take a Coot? Minsmere 24/01/08 (1 Viewer)

[claire78]

On Thursday 24/01/2008 I was down at Minsmere in the Island Mere hide and I noticed the following behaviour:-

There was a 'raft' of coots huddling together on the water (c175) and one
gadwall. Every now and then they would alarm and scoot off in smaller groups across the surface,and then stay in their smaller groups for a minute or so before reconvening in their large huddle.

At first I thought they were being hassled by the Marsh Harriers as there were four hovering over at one point. However, then I noticed a commotion in the water and spotted an otter with what looked like a coot in its mouth. It certainly had a black wing sticking up. Is this usual for an otter to take
something as large as a coot or were my binoculars deceiving me? It was
certainly an otter with at least a wing sticking out of its mouth.

Claire

 

[KLH]

If my memory serves me correctly, watching Springwatch there were problems with moorhen chicks being taken, and I think they were thinking otters. Turned out to be a couple of mink, which caused even greater concern. Remember they set traps and couldn't release the mink due to regulations on this animal in the wild. It had to be destroyed. But another turned up next night. Right this moment typing this, I'm not sure if mink can actually swim out into the main body of water, or if they stay on the edges/banks. But I'd personally think it is an otter in your case.

If it's mink, then you may well have problems!

 

[KnockerNorton]

Otters will take birds, and also small mammals. But so do mink, so unless you were sure of the i.d. then it could be either. However, it being Minsmere, they probably control the mink, so the otter could be more likely. Both are excellent swimmers in open water.

 

[Woodchatshrike]

If my memory serves me correctly, watching Springwatch there were problems with moorhen chicks being taken, and I think they were thinking otters. Turned out to be a couple of mink, which caused even greater concern. Remember they set traps and couldn't release the mink due to regulations on this animal in the wild. It had to be destroyed. But another turned up next night. Right this moment typing this, I'm not sure if mink can actually swim out into the main body of water, or if they stay on the edges/banks. But I'd personally think it is an otter in your case.

If it's mink, then you may well have problems!

Mink are very good swimmers.

 

[KLH]

Thanks Poecile and Woodchatshrike for this info. I thought mink may well be good swimmers, but wasn't 100% certain! Would it be worth reporting the sighting to the relevant bodies, so they could take any action needed if there were indeed mink in the area?

 

[KnockerNorton]

Don't think you need to report it - if it was an otter then it's just doing its stuff, and if it was a mink then they probably already have a mink control programme (or they should have!) so will keep the numbers down.

 

[Original PaulE]

there are definately otters at minsmere spent acouple of hours in the island mere hide watching one a few weeks back saw it eat a fish and it bugged a couple of swans didn't see it eat any birds though although i imagine it would given the chance

 

[claire78]

An otter has been reported from Island Mere a few times over the past couple of weeks and I would say it looked mor like an otter than a mink but could have got it wrong. I was surprised it would have a go at something as large as a coot! THe coot were definately behaving strange huddling in their black 'raft' for safety and I have never seen them do this before down at Minsmere even with the Marshies hovering over the top of them. I have e-mailed Minsmere RSPB to ask them if an otter would take a coot and whether the otter's presence woould have been what was making the coots all jumpy.
Claire

 

[KnockerNorton]

look at the bit on diet here: http://www.otterproject.cardiff.ac.uk/

Lists mallard, coot and crow among food items.

 

[claire78]

Thank you very much Poecile - I think that almost answers the question. I will now await to hear from the people at Minsmere...

 

[etudiant]

An otter in the Toronto Zoo(which is highly recommended, by the way) took a mallard drake that had landed in the water part of the otter's pen and settled down to eat it, to the consternation of the visiting school kids. The otter was very reluctant to let the zoo keeper take away the duck's carcase. The otter was probably fed up with institutional food.

 

[Perdix]

Mink are excellent swimmers, and can take birds up to the size of pheasants and chickens. They are particularly troublesome to moorhens - they can all but wipe them out where they were formerly abundant.

Otters will take a large variety of foods given the chance; a coot would definetly be welcome. I saw on a documentary once an otter tackling a fish slightly larger than itself - so this could have been anything anything up to 130sm long.

 

[Barred Wobbler]

Mink are excellent swimmers, and can take birds up to the size of pheasants and chickens. They are particularly troublesome to moorhens - they can all but wipe them out where they were formerly abundant.

Otters will take a large variety of foods given the chance; a coot would definetly be welcome. I saw on a documentary once an otter tackling a fish slightly larger than itself - so this could have been anything anything up to 130sm long.

In October I watched an otter with one of the largest eels that I've seen (and I've seen a few). It hauled the fish out of the water onto a floating island at Druridge Pools and for the next 30 minutes (timed by my camera's internal clock) I photographed it as it started at the head and ate without respite until it devoured the last of the tail. Only slime was left.

The eel was at least the same length as the otter and as thick as my wrist. I reckon it must have weighed six or seven pounds. Any eel can put up a spirited fight, so I reckon that any animal that can handle half a stone of eel would have no problem whatsoever with a few ounces of coot.

The water-fowl are aware of this too. Often the first sign of the approach of an otter is disquiet amonst the ducks, etc.

 

[Corax67]

Seen an otter cause mass panic & havoc amongst a coot flock at Llangorse Lake up in the Brecon Beacons but not take a bird - however at the same venue I have seen a coot taken by a pike.

 

[KLH]

Would imagine it is the 'Jaws' of the duck world!

 

[CornishExile]

As others have said before, Otters will take waterfowl no problems, both in and outwith the water. Here in Shetland they'll take domestic ducks and chickens occasionally too - a very distinctive kill when you find the remains, quite unlike a polecat kill.

It's not just waterfowl that treat them with respect - the first I've seen of Otters crossing fields (the coastal ones here do this frequently as they come inland to bathe in fresh water) has often been the sheep in the field running away from an unseen Otter in the long grass. They are of course quite safe, but they certainly recognise a carnivore when they see one.

Had a fascinating Otter sighting this morning - looking out of the bedroom window to see my 3 Shetland ponies chasing something across their field - thought at first glance it was a cat, but realised in fact a good-sized dog Otter was going full tilt to get away from them. Initially I thought they were just messing around, but when it reached the fence with them around it, and couldn't get through (the fence is rabbit-wired to exclude rabbits from a tree-planted area) the ponies were clearly slashing and stamping their feet at it. It sped off at right angles along the fence, again pursued by the ponies, and went through a clear fence to safety. Inter species behaviour that's new to me at least.

ce

 

[Barred Wobbler]

This reminds me in some way of a fox I once saw. It was trotting along a fence-line in a pasture field. Further up the field was a small group of sheep, about three or four, close to the fence. As they became aware of the fox they went on the alert, but stayed where they were. The fox then noticed them and changed its body-language altogether. Before it had been relaxed, now it was wary.

If it was to carry on its original heading it would have had to pass through a space of about five to ten yards width between at least one of the sheep and the fence. It wasn't having it. As it got closer it was more hesitant and then it left the line of the fence altogether and made a diversion around the sheep before resuming the fence-line once it was safely past them.

An isolated lamb may be a temptation for a fox, but there was no way on this earth that this particular fox was going to find itself between one or more adult sheep and a mesh fence without a get-out clause.

 

[KLH]

We had a crossbreed that used to chase sheep-this was circa 1980 - but only a couple of times, an angry ram chased him and he s**t himself. Would not go anywhere near sheep after that!

 

[Strandman]

Had a fascinating Otter sighting this morning - looking out of the bedroom window to see my 3 Shetland ponies chasing something across their field - thought at first glance it was a cat, but realised in fact a good-sized dog Otter was going full tilt to get away from them. Initially I thought they were just messing around, but when it reached the fence with them around it, and couldn't get through (the fence is rabbit-wired to exclude rabbits from a tree-planted area) the ponies were clearly slashing and stamping their feet at it. It sped off at right angles along the fence, again pursued by the ponies, and went through a clear fence to safety. Inter species behaviour that's new to me at least.

ce

Strange things horses- gawd knows what goes on in their heads. I once picked up a dead stoat in what seemed to be perfect condition, skinned it (we didn't have computer games to keep us amused in those days) and discovered spectacular internal injuries. Turned out on further enquiry that my sister's horse had pursued it and hoofed it to death that morning...

 

[Nina P]

I would have said that if it were a Mink then there would be real trouble as they come back time and again and kill indescriminately. I have seen 2,000 free range chicken wiped out overnight, every single one decapitated, the beast only took one left all the rest! If Otter was the culprit I believe they only take what is their need, sad as it is, but that is nature.
A word to the people who are in charge of the watercourse where this activity has been seen would be well advised, as if there was frequent happening then it has become a risk to the wildfowl and catching may be required.
Those who saw it on Springwatch must have seen it swim out to the nest, so mink can swim and cover a large catchment area, if a mink takes residence then nothing is safe within a ten mile radius, as this is the distance they can travel in one night. I have even known it take on a collie dog, the dog was ever cautious afterwards.