During my walks along our local riverbanks, I am frequently asked about sightings of the Otters and sadly, the last photograph that I was privileged to take of one, was back in October 2018.
However, there have been a very small number of sightings on the river between that time and now.
At the end of last year, a mother and 2 cubs were seen around Penarth Weir and as recently as 2 months ago, a single one was seen feeding in the river by the Scout Hut.
There has also been an unconfirmed sighting of one seen between the Long Bridge and Halfpenny Bridge within the past 6 months.
The fact that lockdown has created larger numbers of people taking walks along the riverbanks, may have made the Otters more cautious than usual and caused them to revert to their more normal nocturnal habits.
I can only hope that it won’t be too long before we see them on the river again, in the daytime.