2 otters this morning, one of which was eating the head of a Salmon which I guess may have been a dead one from the Salmon farm in Baltasound Sound.
The Salmon farmer has been farming his stock this week and it looked like a seal had eaten the carcass and disgarded the head which the otter had found.
The otter took the head to the opposite side of the bay and so I had to plan how to get to it - without being seen, heard or smelt !
After some serious fieldcraft - running across a small beach, crawling through a lot of weed and slippery rocks.
I found that the otter must have seen me crossing the beach though as when I arrived however he had scarpered.
The fish head was still there though, so after getting into position, I waited.
Sure enough, after 30 minutes, the otter couldn't resist coming back to his tasty free meal before the gulls got to it.
The otter was incredibly wary, but with poor eyesight, and without being able to pick up my scent(perhaps because by now, my kit now mainly smells of sheep poo and seaweed) he eventually came back to find his prize and I got my shots.
As I can't process here, you'll have to wait to see them (now added though):
The weather is very changeable so I decided to spend the rest of the day on the beach - initially at Skaw, then down at Westing.
Aside from another otter sighting, the day was very quiet apart from a late afternoon trip to the old MOD early warning site at Saxa Vord. And incredible place !
With Suze driving, I managed a few pics of a Golden Plover (new species for me) in pouring rain - I hope the pics come out as they will be dramatic.
It's now 10.20 and not dark yet - if it clears, I'll be up at 4 to catch the dawn !
The Salmon farmer has been farming his stock this week and it looked like a seal had eaten the carcass and disgarded the head which the otter had found.
The otter took the head to the opposite side of the bay and so I had to plan how to get to it - without being seen, heard or smelt !
After some serious fieldcraft - running across a small beach, crawling through a lot of weed and slippery rocks.
I found that the otter must have seen me crossing the beach though as when I arrived however he had scarpered.
The fish head was still there though, so after getting into position, I waited.
Sure enough, after 30 minutes, the otter couldn't resist coming back to his tasty free meal before the gulls got to it.
The otter was incredibly wary, but with poor eyesight, and without being able to pick up my scent(perhaps because by now, my kit now mainly smells of sheep poo and seaweed) he eventually came back to find his prize and I got my shots.
As I can't process here, you'll have to wait to see them (now added though):
The weather is very changeable so I decided to spend the rest of the day on the beach - initially at Skaw, then down at Westing.
Aside from another otter sighting, the day was very quiet apart from a late afternoon trip to the old MOD early warning site at Saxa Vord. And incredible place !
With Suze driving, I managed a few pics of a Golden Plover (new species for me) in pouring rain - I hope the pics come out as they will be dramatic.
It's now 10.20 and not dark yet - if it clears, I'll be up at 4 to catch the dawn !
1 comment:
Well done with the otter. Looking forward to seeing the results.
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