Some new neighbours get us into the papers!!!!!

We have hit the headlines – thanks to a family of otters who have returned to the lake after an absence of three years. And at the time of writing this a mother and her two cubs can be seen regularly playing in the waters.

We last saw the male otter three years ago and then he suddenly disappeared but to our delight he suddenly turned up again a few weeks ago and then his mate and two cubs appeared and since then we have seen them often.

“Otter populations have been recovering over the past twenty years and are now reaching something like the numbers that they should be,” said Kate Williamson, Biodiversity Co-ordinator of the Snowdonia National Park Authority, who visited the lake to see the creatures for herself. “They are a priority species in the Snowdonia Biodiversity Action Plan and we have undertaken a number of conservation projects across the Park.”

The news of their return has also been welcomed by Rhodri Dafydd, senior conservation officer of the Countryside Council for Wales, based in Dolgellau. “I’m delighted to see that otters have returned to Tal-y-llyn. As one of our most attractive mammals, the otter sits at the top of its food chain and is therefore an indicator of a healthy ecosystem. Their presence on Llyn Mwyngil shows that the habitats and water quality in this part of Cadair Idris Site of Special Scientific Interest can and do support a wide range of species.”

The otters are now the unwitting stars of a video which we have made shot over ten days and is getting many hits on Youtube. The edited footage can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/user/rectoryonthelake .