Summer 2012 in the Hebrides - not so bad after all

2012 wasn't all bad, appart from being horrendously busy we did escape to the Scottish Islands in the summer and had a great time. Even the weather was OK.

Of course the Scottish Islands are a great place to Otter Watching since the otters a tied to the coastline for the most part and their routine is, to a great extent, dictated by the ebb and flow of the tides. This means they are visible by day unlike their southern cousins. We stayed on Arran for a week then moved on to Islay but it was on Arran that I had some of the best Otter encounters I've ever had. Sadly I didn't take the expensive camera lens I had planned to hire much to my disappointment because I think I would have been able to get some really good shots. So, apologies in advance for the not so good photography.

This was a fantastic encounter with three young pups and their mother. I was lucky enough to be able to watch them for extended times early in the morning almost every day. A few times the midges became utterly unbearable but its surprising what you can put up with when you are totally absorbed by watching the antics of the pups as the fished just meters away from me.

They are remarkably tactile creatures and crave the close contact of the other siblings and the mother although she would usually keep her distance trying to encourage the youngsters to fend for themselves. Out in the sea they would often swim almost on top of each other and dive in unison to catch fish which they usually ate there and then.

The pups fishing out at sea - just about to dive again

Two of the pups swimming together as they approach the shore just metres 

from where i'm hidden behind a rock.

Coming ashore to eat a particularly large fish

Resting on the rocks

The three pups come ashore to dry off and sprint

A slightly poor image of one of the pups in the act of sprainting.

One a couple of occasions the mother and her pups were much less visible but i think this was probably due to the presence of a large dog otter that appeared on two occasions patrolling along the coast line. I followed him for quite some way before he vanished around a headland. He moved at quite a pace and i found it quite had to keep pace with him. He was much more wary however so I had to duck out of sight and try to keep up wind from him in order not to be detected. Needless to say i think he usually knew I was there and he never let me get too close.

On Islay I didn't get to see any otters but I tracked them extensively along the small bays and wide beaches. In one location i even followed a set of tracks all the way to watch looked like a holt hidden in the grassy tussocks of a sand dune.

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The fresh clean sand on a beach early in the morning clearly shows the otters of Islay are just as active as those on Arran. Such a clear impression too.

2012 - The great Flood, What a Washout!

The majority of last year was a disaster in terms of Otter Watching. At least it was down here in hampshire. The water levels were so high in our local rivers that the usual tracks and signs one might expect to see on a regular basic just weren't there. The rain fell almost constantly which mean't that any signs were simple washed away.

Otters are very mobile creatures and I guess they made the most out of the ever changing conditions but it really wasn't until winter when a few obvious signs returned. Snow is great because all that nighttime activity which usually goes unnoticed is writ large on the ground for all to see. Of course you have to get up ready early before its all brushed away by other people or their dogs.

Otters appear to enjoy jumping and rolling about in
the snow. Here you can clearly see how the otter has
bounded along and rolled about prior to jumping back
into the river to the top of the frame.

Really clear set of distinctive otter tracks along a path previously devoid
of all traces of Otter activity.