Otters, after many years of being 'confined' to Cornwall, Wales and Scotland are making a resounding comeback. They are progressively moving eastwards (from Cornwall) and have been sighted close to London.
As you say they are cheeky blighters and the myth of their solitude is, perhaps just that, a myth - now that numbers are reaching higher levels otters now have greater competition in the wild and they will start to be seen more frequently. They have been sighted in cities (Bristol for example) as well which just goes to show that they arent the solitude seeking animal we all think of!
Although numbers are growing, there is, naturally an almost equal number of untimely deaths (namely crossing roads etc) which many people are trying to stop either by creating otter crossings or trying to keep them the water courses by building tracks up and over weirs etc.
There is a great deal we do not know about otters and only surmise what they get up to as there has been little done in the way of tracking of the mainland animals, but as time passes and they become more 'common' this will hopefully change.
They really are one of the most beautiful creatures in my mind and when you see 2 otters playing in the wild you can see that they have a great sense of humour and mischievousness!
If you want any more info on otters then drop me a line!
All the best