Otterly Magical !

I’ve been hunting otters all year, first with early morning walks down the River Tyne in Haddington, then keeping an eye out on North Uist, earlier this summer. But I had no luck, that is until a trip to the Isle of Mull! We were told on arrival at our seaside campsite that there was a mum and two kits around. So we took a wander right along the shoreline with our eyes peeled. No joy. But on returning to our campervan my husband and now designated “chief otter spotter” asked, “Is that a couple of ducks out on the water?” No, it was two otters, playing and catching fish in the early evening light.

I snapped away, delighted to see them until they disappeared out of sight. Then I heard some unfamiliar “keek, keek” sounds coming from behind me. So I walked up beside the burn running into the sea and couldn’t believe my eyes! There was one of the otters perched on a grassy tussock in the middle of the stream munching away on a fish!

It was almost too close for the big lens and I was able to zoom in on the head.

My good fortune continued the very next day at a popular otter watching spot by Loch na Keal. It helped that there were three other “otter spotters” already pointing their lenses towards the kelp covered rocks. I watched for moving dark shapes and took aim with my big lens too.

The otters were in and out of the sea, chasing and cavorting with each other. Such a lovely sight to see mid afternoon. The tide was coming in quite rapidly and all too soon the rocks and the otters disappeared out of sight into the sea. What a thrill to see such a lot of these wonderful creatures. I doubt I’ll ever have another two days in a row of otterly magical sightings again.