Just over a month ago, as dusk settled, I stumbled upon a mother Otter and her two cubs. Though my view was brief and partially obscured, it was great to see such a young family for the first time. It wasn't until another evening, armed with a thermal imager, that I caught up with them again. They were playing and messing around and making chattering noise I had never heard Otters make before.
Fast forward to last week, during one of my customary pre-work walks, I found the family in a moment of separation, One of the young cubs had strayed from the safety of it's mother and sibling. Their reunion was filled with squeaking and then lots of running up and down the river bank opposite, but often out of view and never great for the camera.
As they swam upstream, the mother Otter took a moment to attend to her cubs, grooming and scent marking. However, their tranquil moment was abruptly interrupted by the unexpected presence of another Otter- a dog Otter intruder under the bank I was stood. The ensuing commotion, filed with chatter and alarm, culminated in the trio bravely chasing off the welcome guest.
The rest of the week passed without an encounter, which of course made this, all the more special.
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