Otters
This is more likely if you are on an early morning or an evening ferry as these are the times of day when these animals are most active. If you spot a head peering out the water, you can differentiate an Otter from a seal as the Otter’s head is smaller and flatter on top. Once an Otter is aware of you it won’t hang around on the surface (unlike seals who are incredibly curious). Otter dens (known as holts) are usually located on low-lying land near the coast, where they will hunt for fish, crabs and eels.
If you spot an otter, send your sightings to County mammal recorder Brian Ribbands email: queenamidda@waitrose.com
Birds
During the summer months you might see breeding populations of Arctic tern and Kittiwake near the pier. Arctic terns are small agile birds with white bodies, black heads and long tail streamers. They are also extremely noisy! Kittiwakes are small gulls with black legs, yellow beaks and black wing tips. Sand-eels are the main prey for both species and numbers of these small fish have been affected by ocean changes over recent decades, which has had a direct effect on the birds.
