Otters are largely nocturnal creatures and have very wide home ranges, and so surveys tend to look for evidence of otter presence along a watercourse rather than the actual otter itself. Signs include spraints (droppings), footprints, rolling sites, slides, and holts and other resting places.
The Legal Bit
| Otters are fully protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) and Schedule 2 of The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010. It is illegal to deliberately or recklessly kill, injure or disturb an otter or a place it uses for rest or shelter. |
Gray Ecology 