The Outer Hebrides is one of the best places in the U.K. for seeing otters as they occur at a high density and can be seen at virtually any time of day.

Fresh water is very important to an Otter as although they may depend on the sea for the majority of their food they need to keep their coat in superb condition. To do this they must wash regularly in fresh water to clean out the salt and maintain some water repellent qualities.

The best time to see Otters is when the cubs are around, out and about with their mother teaching them how to fend for themselves. The cubs spend the first few months in their natal holt before venturing out but when they do they regularly keep in touch with their mother by calling. The call is sharp, high pitched pipit-like note that could be easily over looked as a small bird but once known is an excellent way of locating Otters. The best time to look for Otter here is the winter months.

Other signs that they are around can be found by examining footprints. Otters show five toes whilst a dog shows just four. They are a reasonable size, depending on whether its a male or female as the dog Otters are the larger. The prints are roughly the same size as a Border Collie's paw prints. 

Two species of seal can be found around the islands, the Atlantic Grey Seal and the Common Seal, or Harbour Seal as it is alternatively known. Both these names are descriptive and tell you a little something of how to identify them. Grey Seals are largely dark grey although occasionally they are paler or russet in colour they tend to be less variable than Common Seals which are often intricately spotted helping them blend into rocks.

As adults, Grey Seal have a large 'Roman' nose which leads to them occasionally being known as horse heads. Both males and females show this distinctive head shape although it is more pronounced in the bulls.

Common seals on the other hand are much gentler looking and appear to have a head resembling a Golden Retriever. They also frequently adopt this characteristic 'banana posture' that Grey Seals don't hold so much or for any length of time.

Common Seals also breed around the islands although their pups can swim reasonably well a few hours after being born. Common Seals may be seen with pups around June / July whilst Grey Seals wait until late October / November before giving birth.