Just a brief foray today in the company of my brother as we set off once again for an out of county experience at Ferry Meadows. Our target were those otters that eluded us last time and the idea was to arrive before dawn. In the gloomy conditions it seemed to take for ever for dawn to break and indeed it was to remain dull for the rest of the morning.
We joined a growing band of would be otter spotters and judging by the state of the lakeside it seems as if this has been a very popular activity of late. Areas have now been fenced off to keep people away from some stretches of the bank but most of the area was still accessible. We were only there for a short time before the sight of small fishes leaping out of the water alerted us to the arrival of the star turns. First one and then two otters swam under the bridge and we were treated to some good views of them. Sadly for us both appeared to catch their breakfasts pretty quickly and they disappeared into bankside cover to eat. We could hear them crunching on the unfortunate fishes and caught the occasional glimpse of one or another. Eventually both swam away perhaps for an after meal snooze and we decided to leave though not before we had seen Kingfisher several times and heard a Raven.
The dull conditions did not inspire me to stay out after what has been a couple of good days but I did get good views of a Raven making a low pass over my garden. Due to the poor light conditions and the speed of the otters I only managed a couple of ropey record shots, I may have to try and get back again.
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