Grey Heron and Otter

🦦 FunOtter Facts!

• Otters are native to Ireland. They have lived here for a very long time!

• Otters have long tails, small ears, and long whiskers, perfect for swimming and sniffing out food.

• They are brown on top with a lighter brown belly.

• Otters are mammals. They have fur, are warm-blooded, and feed their babies milk.

• They live in freshwater rivers and lakes in Milltown and surrounding areas.

• Their homes are called holts. A holt can be a dug-out tunnel or even an old rabbit hole or hollow tree!

• Otters are nocturnal. They come out mostly at night.

• They stay in Ireland all year round, no hibernating for these furry swimmers!

• Otters are carnivores. They love to eat fish like salmon, and also frogs.

• Baby otters are called pups.

• A male otter is called a boar, and a female is called a sow.

• Otter families stay together for about 6 months before the pups go off on their own.

• They are amazing swimmers and can hold their breath underwater for several minutes!

• Even though otters live all around Ireland, they can be very shy, many people have never seen one in the wild… but we were lucky! We have video footage of an otter sharing the riverbank with a grey heron!

🐦 Fun Facts About the Grey Heron!

• The grey heron is one of the tallest birds in Ireland and is frequently seen along the River Clare waiting for dinner to swim by!

• Fishing pro! Herons use their sharp, pointy beaks like daggers to catch fish, frogs, and even insects.

• Herons often hunt in the early morning when it’s peaceful and still.

• They can stand super still for ages. You might think they are a statue!

• In spring, adult herons grow long black feathers at the back of their heads.

• When they fly, they stretch their necks back and their legs straight out.

• Nest in trees! Even though they love water, herons build their nests high up in trees in big colonies called heronries.

• In Irish the grey heron is called Corr réisc.

• Herons have excellent eyesight, perfect for spotting slippery fish!

Source: The otter is a native animal to Ireland. It is a medium size. It has a long tail. It has small ears. Otters have four legs. Otters have long whiskers. They are brown with a lighter brown belly. It is a mammal. It has fur and is warm blooded. It lives in fresh water rivers and lakes. Their home is called a holt which they dig themselves. They sometimes use hollow trees. They come out at night. They stay in Ireland all year and don’t hibernate. Otters are carnivores and eat salmon and frogs. Otters stay with their families for about 6 months. Male otters are called boars. Female otters are called sows. Baby otters are called pups. [It is called madra uisce in Irish. It means water dog]. Otters use old rabbit holes as their home. I have never seen one.

Information board on the grey heron: Tall and unmistakeable, this bird is frequently seen standing motionless along the river bank, waiting patiently for prey such as fish or frogs to swim into range of its dagger-like beak. The adults develop distinctive trailing black plumes on the rear of the crown during the breeding season.