Thread: Otters (real cute guys)

As well as visiting the railway at Buckfastleigh today, I spent a lot of time (well more time actually than I did on the railway) in the Butterfly and Otter sanctuary. I failed to photograph the tropical butterflies due to extreme humidity problems causing condensation on virtually every lens surface, inside and out and on the sensor. Having cleared that the Otters more than compensated.

I've only ever seen our European Otter twice in the wild. I can remember being absolutely amazed with my first sighting since it didn't realise I was there and swam below me quite unconcerned. I really barely saw the bodily movements it was making in order to move.


Typical of my first sighting in the wild, although I was somewhat higher up, the classic V shaped wake was the first thing I saw


Just out of the water with sleeked down hairs


Waiting for feeding time


Dried off

All the above are of North American River Otters


A European Otter underwater


An Asian Short Clawed Otter waiting to be fed


The Asian Short Clawed Otters being fed, these are the worlds smallest Otter

All the above with a Panasonic GH2 and either a Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro or a Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 Macro, both being manually focused

Barrie

I didn't know there was an otter sanctuary there. Next time I'm in Devon I'll be there, all lenses blazing. Some lovely pics in there, Barrie

great series. I'm going to try to be a good person....then maybe if I'm lucky I can come back next time around as an otter. Looks like the life!

Thanks for your post, Barrie. I've never seen an otter, we don't have them over here. I've been fascinated by otters ever since reading Gavin Maxwell's "Ring of Bright Water": an absolutely entrancing book, for anyone who has not yet read it.

This might help. Mine has been slowing down as well and you gave me the inspiration to do something about it. My problem is I don't close applications once I open them so they never clear things automatically. Need to retrain myself!
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Originally Posted by HeatherTheVet

I didn't know there was an otter sanctuary there. Next time I'm in Devon I'll be there, all lenses blazing. Some lovely pics in there, Barrie

There's another somewhere on the Tamar, I think on the Cornish side. The only two in the UK?

Originally Posted by Luke

great series. I'm going to try to be a good person....then maybe if I'm lucky I can come back next time around as an otter. Looks like the life!

Luke, make sure you end up in an Otter sanctuary. The oldest dog otter there is 25 years old, much older than would be attained in the wild. He's fathered 4 litters in his time and was with 2 of his sons. His female was in another enclosure since she would have objected to the presence of the young males. He's lost some teeth so has his food cut up small. Even one of the Asian Short Clawed Otters was 18 years old.

Barrie

Originally Posted by kyteflyer

Thanks for your post, Barrie. I've never seen an otter, we don't have them over here. I've been fascinated by otters ever since reading Gavin Maxwell's "Ring of Bright Water": an absolutely entrancing book, for anyone who has not yet read it.

Sue, the other great Otter story is Henry Williamsons Tarka the Otter, set in north Devon and written in the 1930's by a man who really studied his subject. So much of what he wrote about that occurred under ground in the holt has subsequently been shown by modern cameras to be true.

Barrie

zomg teh cuteness

Awwwww... how can you not love otters. Dang cute and nice shots, Barrie!

There is a river I snowshoe on in the winter and I snuck up on an otter in an opening in the ice on the river. Ever since then, I have always had a camera ready, but haven't caught one again. You can see their snow trails up and down the river. It looks like they have a blast in the winter.

Barrie, thank you! I, too, am a devotee of "Ring of Bright Water", Sue. Barrie, I'll have to check out your book, for sure.

Luke, because of both reading the book when I was quite young and seeing the movie version, I'm committed to coming back as one, as well. We can have a good time playing tag in between sliding and swimming.

Kyle, that must have been so cool!