The Otter Story

One of my favourite things about welly walks is seeing people's reactions when we see something special. Some people are very reserved and somehow keep their excitement to themselves; others are simply beside themselves with excitement. Anyone that knows me knows I come into the latter category and so today was very special because Jeremy, Carol, Grace and Tom also came into that category when we saw the otter we'd been looking for all morning.

We'd seen signs of its presence in the form of its prints, very clearly defined in the sand. Then, walking back to the cars, Tom spotted it first (younger eyes having an advantage!) We spent the best part of an hour crawling on our bellies to get closer and sharing binoculars to watch it feed - and feed it surely did! And what teeth! Everyone was truly delighted to have such good views - including me. Ten years on Islay and the last thing I saw in the natural world is still always the best! A big thanks to you all for sharing this day with me. Oh, and I love learning new things. Today I learnt that Bran Coes Coch is Welsh for Chough (Red-legged Crow).
Becky