World Otter Day – Coastal Otters
If you’ve got your camera, you’ll probably not see anything! For years I only found signs that otters were present – numerous spraints, possible holts and slides into the water. To this day I haven’t been lucky enough to see an otter on a river, despite following tipoffs on social media. My first otter sighting was on Loch Leven in the Highlands after graduating from university. Sitting outside our tent one night, as it got too dark for the camera, an otter swam past us, foraging along the loch. Since then, I have been lucky enough to spend many holidays in Shetland – which happens to have the highest density of otters in Europe. I have had several memorable encounters there and honed my otter spotting skills. No bright colours, no loud or sudden movements, do not stand out against the background… That said, some of my best sightings were walking along the coast, mid conversation. It maybe is the camera lens they dislike.
Coastal otters rely on the tides so are seen more during the day. However, winters in Shetland are tough for these otters. Winter storms bring big swell, high winds, and torrential rain. For us, it means the otters are hard to spot and there is a limited window where it is light enough to get a good photo. One afternoon in January, we spotted a mother otter and two cubs coming into the shore. We hid behind a stone dyke and watched them feeding, grooming and settling down to sleep, no more than 20m away! The light was fading fast, and I was desperate to get a photograph, but sticking my head above the wall would disturb the family. To get a clear shot I needed to stand up and that wasn’t an option! In the end, I stuck the camera up over the wall and snapped a few. Although blurry, I managed to capture the experience!
Have you had an experience of an otter either along the coast, river or canal ? Why not share your experiences with us on our social media channels.
This brings our World Otter Day coverage to a close. Hopefully you have had an otterly good day and enjoyed our posts.
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