Otter Heaven (Day 12 - The Last Day)

We decided to wind things down for the last day - it was Jacq's holiday after all! Later in the afternoon, we caught up with our old friend, the large dog otter. He was cruising the shoreline, picking off crabs and fish with the incoming tide. Even after two weeks, he was as wary as ever and it took a further hour to get into a suitable position. Just when I thought things were going to plan, another photographer appeared right behind me. At first I was furious, but calmed myself down and told myself "these otters belong to no one". Thankfully, the photographer stayed put behind a large boulder and I was immensely grateful for their patience.

However, the male otter had sensed her presence and hurried to finish-off a large crab. I took four frames, then he dived. It was one of those meaningful dives that meant I would not see it again. After waiting for a few minutes (just in case), I returned to the loch road and walked back to the car, where Jacq had been watching the scene unfold. She had seen the otter dive and tracked it all the way back to the car! It was the last afternoon of the last day and we just watched this dog otter fishing and swimming along. I was contented and knackered! I have to say, it was my most productive trip to date. I think the days of battling the elements and limited daylight hours are over for me. I will return, I am sure. But probably not until next May/June. The Isle of Mull is truly and amazing place. If you have read this and enjoyed it, make the effort and travel to the Hebrides. You won't be disappointed!

• Getting there: I usually drive to Oban and catch the Caledonian MacBrayne Ferry from Oban to Craignure. It takes about 45mins to cross and the ferry has regular and frequent departures. If you arrive at Craignure then you will already be in the south of the Island which is the best for scenery and wildlife.
  
• Highly recommended places to stay: Barrachandroman (B&B or Self Catering on Loch Spelve) & Twelve Oaks (Self Catering near Loch Don). I have stayed at both these places and they all provide very comfortable accommodation and the hosts are very special people and good friends.
• Other recommended places to stay: Pennyghael Hotel - Hotel accommodation or Self-catering cottages right on the shore of Loch Scridain

Otter Heaven (Day 11)

The next day we returned to the same stretch of coast. Why not? During the previous days, I had built an intimate mental map of the coastline and had followed the otters so closely, I could spot where they liked to haul-up, out of view from the road. The tides were extremely high, thanks to the summer solstice and new moon. It took most of the morning for the tide to descend and reveal the seaweed carpets along the shore. It took even longer to find the otters!

It was mid-morning, when we eventually spotted the mother and cub fishing along the shore. The mother would dive first, then the cub would follow, returning before the mother for a lungful of air. The mother appeared another 5-10 seconds later, usually with a small fish or crab. They seemed to be coping with most prey out in the water, so I was patient and just followed on behind. Ahead, I could spot a relatively large, submerged rock, covered with seaweed. I decided to gamble my chances and headed for the rock as soon as the otters dived - not a second too soon either. As soon as the mother broke the surface, she made a beeline for the same rock. I was not yet in position, so every time she drove her head under the water, I moved as quickly as possible, slipping and sliding and trying not to break my neck.

We reached our destinations at around the same moment. She had no prey with her, so they were there for a rub down and rest - just what I needed. I took a few lungfuls of my own and set the camera on a beanbag. All the elements were coming together, probably for the first time since I had started photographing otters - two otters, on a golden seaweed covered rock, with blue water and sunshine! I thought I was never going to see this. The mother tried to curl up for a sleep, but the cub kept rubbing against her and really wanted to play. It was quite comical and I had to stifle a chuckle.
They stayed on the rock for about 10mins with the mother coming and going. Unfortunately she would come and go from behind the rock and the cub so was always obscured. I wasn't unhappy though. These shots are really what I came for - two otters together in a photogenic scene.
Eventually both otters left the rock and carried on fishing along the shore. They fished for another 45mins, slowly making their way East along the shore with the out-flowing tide. Then they suddenly reappeared on another rock. I wasn't very close and was caught slightly off-guard, but managed to get a few shots before they finished their snacks and dove off into the water once more. It was a real shame, but my legs had really began to wobble and shake, so we broke for lunch and rest. Even though I've spent weeks down the gym prior to the trip, my legs were no way near up to the stamina level I once had.

Otter Heaven (Day 10 - A Mega Stalk!!!!!)

It was a slow start to Day 10 and my limbs were thankful for it! We didn't find our usual dog otter until about 8:00am. He was doing his usual wary, floating and watching the shore routine. He was fishing a lot though and gradually made his way along the loch shore. I followed close to the water's edge for over 2 hours before he came to shore in a suitable spot. The one single frame above was all I could manage, before he dropped into a seaweed-carpeted hollow in the rocks. There was no 'line of sight', so I just had to sit and wait. Bloody typical!

"I don't photograph every time an otter comes to shore as they are often blind-sided by rocks, or the light is just crap. I pick and choose my moments now."

After a quick power nap, the dog otter, left the shore and began fishing again. I spotted a few submerged rocks ahead, so made a bee-line for them. For once, this otter played ball and hauled himself up onto the rock. He chomped away on this large crab for a few mins before dropping off into the water.

He then made a surprising dash for the shore. I thought he had detected me, but he swam straight past. It was only when I looked around, that I saw two more otters swimming towards us. The two otters emerged from the water and ran up onto the seaweed carpet and dived into a hollow. The dog otter was not far behind. This was either going to be a fight or a reunion - I was praying for the later! I am happy to say it was.

Over the past three years, I have watched this dog otter and now he was a father to at least one cub. I felt like I was intruding on a precious and private family moment. I slithered on my belly over the rocks and finally positioned the camera and 600mm within a few metres. It was truly amazing to be so close as the family played and squealed together.
Ok, I only managed to capture a couple of frames as they were almost completely hidden, but I could see their heads and tales occasionally. I couldn't sit up as there was nothing to cover my silhouette, but I wasn't about to give-up and leave. The shot above shows the large dog otter on the right and the nearly full-grown cub on the left. The cub was really scared at first and the mother was snapping at the male to keep him back. Eventually they all settled down for a snooze and I seized the opportunity to change position.
I raised myself off the seaweed very slowly to study the lie of the land and saw just one avenue, one clear line of sight to the male. I slipped over a few rocks, further down towards the water's edge and set the camera. He was preening and scratching, pausing momentarily to listen out for danger. I kept low and laid the beanbag on a smaller rock than usual, to see if I could get a really diffused image. I love the eye contact here, although the diffusion maybe too much for some.He soon finished his preening and settled down to sleep, dropping out of sight altogether. I sniper-crawled a couple of metres back up the shore and found a potential viewpoint for the mother and cub - although it would only work if they raised their heads. I waited for ages, propped up on my elbows, but they were perfectly at peace and sleeping like babies! After 20mins, I felt the wind change direction and there was some movement from the otters. I think they had now caught my scent and I was very close. The mother fidgeted and looked up, straight at me, so I shot a couple of frames. She simply stared at me and then went back to sleep. This really is one of the best feelings, when you are so close, but the animals are either totally unaware or not threatened by your presence.

The otters slept for another 15mins and then began fishing along the shore (in the opposite direction to the male). I was exhausted and, feeling the strain on my calf muscle, felt I would probably injure myself if I had tried to keep up. A little after 2:00pm and over six hours otter photography, we decided to pull back and head for lunch. The otters had been absolute stars and I felt (at the time) that I had captured my best and most intimate otter portraits. All the best otter images have now been uploaded to the website. To view the otter gallery, click here.

Otter Heaven (Day 9)

After the previous day's 'marathon stalk', I was really beginning to feel the strain on my muscles. My legs felt like lead weights and my shoulders was sore from hauling around the 600mm and beanbag. I had to be more careful now because it was on Mull, in November 2007, that I ruptured my calf muscle and spent the next three months in intensive physio therapy and rehab!
I remember thinking, "I could really do with a day off!" I got my wish when the rain set in for an entire day - non-stop. If you plan a trip to the Hebrides, you really need to expect and allow for a few days like this, no matter what time of year it is. I used to only travel to Mull for one week. I've now extended it to two weeks to give myself a fighting chance.
Saying that, I have seen the most amazing wildlife during the pouring rain, it is just not much fun photographing it and the rainy shots rarely sell. If your time is limited, don't be put of by the weather and stay in doors. Get out there and look - you will be amazed. It is probably the best time to see otters!

All the best otter images have now been uploaded to the website. To view the otter gallery, click here. This trip was so productive that almost all the previous images have been replaced!

Otter Heaven Contd. (Day 8 - A Marathon Stalk)

My partner, Jacq, joined me for the second week. I was quite anxious about delivering on the expectations of seeing otters - our last trip together was a complete failure! I'm happy to say, this trip was completely different. On our first morning out, we found this dog otter at about 5:30am. I'd come to expect this male to be hanging around in this area so we kept out eyes peeled.
After about 30 mins of creeping along the shore, I settled down to watch him fish, while Jacq remained further up the shore being savaged by the midges (poor lass looked like she had measles!) After another 15mins, he caught a fish too large to handle in the water, so brought it to shore. The light was beautiful and soft, but very low (100th sec at f/4) as it was struggling to break through some cloud. I shot about 10 frames sparingly, but only 2 were sharp. To add to the problems, I had been caught napping and did not have a suitable rock nearby to rest the camera and beanbag on. I made do by sitting on my butt and supporting the camera, 600mm f/4, and beanbag on my knees!

After he'd finished his meal, the otter slid back into the water. He was naturally wary and he knew there was something on the shore. The swirling breeze often exposed our presence. Whenever he caught a sniff, I just froze. He often double-backed to zero in on the source of the strange smell. He would disappear under the water, then gently raise his head through the floating seaweed, without a single ripple. He never saw me move and so couldn't be sure. Sometimes, the otter pursued the smell to within a couple of metres, but still couldn't see clearly - Thankfully, I was dressed in camo that day and laid flat along the rocks to hide my human outline.
He was never alarmed and never dived to escape. He just floated and watched the shore. Satisfied that there was nothing to fear, he carried on fishing. We kept up this game of cat and mouse for nearly 4 hours! I was exhausted as I had to keep low and 'sniper crawl' over the slippery, seaweed-covered rocks to follow (which is bloody hard work with a 600mm lens). He was such a large otter, that he rarely needed to come to shore to feed. He managed to cope with almost everything in the water. This shot to right was one of those few occasions - coming to shore to scent mark.

I think it is fair to say that there are easier otters to photograph, but it is a truly wonderful experience to be in such close company with a wild otter... the images become incidental.

Otter Heaven Contd. (Day 7)

Mull just wouldn't Mull without the odd puncture... and so it was on this trip too. Luckily it was just a slow puncture and I managed to fix it temporarily with that poxy-resin tyre filler. Certainly works well if you are stranded and I can definitely recommend having it in the car.

After a couple of days I decided to get the tyre replace (the resin is just a short-term fix). While the car was with the mechanic, I took a wander down into Craignure Harbour. I was gob-smacked to find two otters swimming about the moored boats! I ran back to the car, grabbed the camera and legged it back.
There was a male and female fishing for crabs. The male caught one every few minutes and always went back to the same spot. I stealthily worked round to be level with him on the rocks and began shooting. He was totally relaxed - maybe because of the amount of people, smells and traffic nearby. I wish I'd brought the 600mm as the 300mm and 1.4x Tc were not quite long enough. Plus there was just open water between us so there was no way of getting any closer. I decided to compose more enviro shots and was happy with this portrait showing the harbour ferry pier in the background.

I spent about 20mins watching and photographing as the dog otter repeatedly emerged from the water with a large green shore crab, ran along the rocks, and devoured it, before diving in for more. I made the most of it by capturing the moments where the otter either entered of left the water - the point where its two worlds merge. It made me think that one day, in order to have the complete story, I will also need to go underwater! After one last crab, the dog otter swam along the shore, fishing for more crabs, but even though I followed for a mile or more, he never came to shore.

Otter Heaven Contd. (Day 6)

This was shot just a couple of hours after the cub on the shingle beach. I had walked back up the loch and found a mother and cub swimming along the shore. They were diving for fish and crabs and were constantly tumbling, porpoising, and playing. I checked the wind direction, but it was from the wrong direction. I huddled down and let them pass in order to be downwind. My jacket and trousers already had a couple of days worth of smelly seaweed rubbed all over them, so I was beginning to blend in a little.

I followed them along the shore, until they eventually tired and came on shore for a rub down and power-nap. This is really what I had come to photograph - more then one otter in the frame, rubbing down and looking spiky and fluffy. All this happened within a few metres of me. It is at times like this, that I feel so privileged to be a wildlife photographer.

I have so many intimate experiences already, but being so close to these animals while they are totally oblivious is a wonderful experience indeed. I shot frames sparingly - never enough to warrant a curious stare or to feel alarmed. As big and as cumbersome as the 600mm f/4 is, the shooting distance means I am much less likely to be discovered or even heard.
Most of the action occurred during the morning and I very rarely saw the otters in the evening. This was one exception and was on the same day as the 'rubbing down' sequence above... a very good day! Again, the same family of otters were out fishing in deep water. This juvenile male came to the rocks with a substantial catch. The wind was swirling and I was blind-sided by the rocks. I took the smaller lens (300mm f/2.8 IS L with 1.4x Tc) as the 600mm f/4 is just too big for the rock-climbing I am sometimes compelled to do.

Luckily, the otter was getting really stuck into its meal and was unaware of me clambering over rocks and sliding down barnacle encrusted boulders. I edged closer and closer and was finally in place to grab a few shots. It took so long to get there, he had nearly finished his meal. Otters do not naturally lend themselves to portrait shots but luckily the otter was directly head on.

I had about 5 mintues with this cub before my footing finally gave way and I slipped. Unfortunately it occurred just at the same time as the otter finished his meal, so it was now fully aware. I remained still and quite so he was not really alarmed. He dropped off the rock and dove for more fish. The light was fading and the day was over for me. It had been very successful indeed!

Otter Heaven (Day 4-6)

I've blasted through the edit and have finished converting the images in Lightroom. As I may have said previously, I make very little alterations to my images. If I have missed the exposure by more than 1/2 stop, then I will usually bin the image unless it is capturing something amazing. The contrast is left as standard at +25 and the vibrance and saturation are rarely altered at all. If anything, vibrance gets +10 and saturation just +5. My tone curve is also fairly even with Lights getting +10 and Darks usually receiving -5. One very useful gadget is the HSL settings. If the water or sky is looking a bit washed out, you can change just the luminance of the Blues and Aqua to darken them. It is like a digital polariser in its effect. This was the easiest edit I have from Mull, with most of the images left as is. The light was generally very good and there was often enough colour and punch in the images straight from camera.

I just watched and waited for the first couple of days. I had opportunities, but I didn't want to rush things. Besides, the weather was very dull and drizzly, so it was pointless. I have enough dull otters in brown seaweed. These images are in order of capture time:
This was the first shot I took during this trip and it is now one of my all-time favourites.I have so many shots of otters in seaweed it was brilliant to have the opportunity to photograph an otter, near its holt, on dry land. I stayed down wind and used a 600mm f/4 on a tripod and gimbal head, so I was well away from the entrance. I never enter the area of the holt as otters are just too easily disturbed. The smell of human footprints would be enough to deter them from coming back.

Shortly after the 'holt shot' the family of otters (mum and two fully grown cubs) departed and fished from barnacle encrusted rocks. I had expected them to swim on some distance, but they caught small fish and crabs almost immediately. This shot is of the mother. They came further round than I had expected and the swirling wind took my scent straight to them! She was more inquisitive than alarmed and simply dropped off the rock to continue her fishing.

Two days later, I found the same otter family fishing from a shingle beach. I decided to leave the tripod behind and used a beanbag to get a lower point-of-view. After about an hour, a cub came to shore with a large green shore crab. After feasting on the crab, the cub ran along the beach calling to find its family which it had lost sight of while feeding. Luckily for me, the sun came out just as I started shooting... more to come!

Mull'icious Weather

Well, it has been a great couple of weeks on the Isle of Mull, despite the very changeable weather. Up until the day I arrived, Mull had enjoyed an early summer having only one day of 'proper' rain in seven weeks! Well, all that changed the moment I set foot on the Island. Along came the clouds, the weather fronts, and the rain. It wasn't all doom and gloom though. In the first week there were a couple decent days and the second week was positively summery! Now I am back home, staring out the office window and (as a thunder-clap explodes overhead) wondering where our summer has gone... again!

Sorry, there are no images on this post. I'm just sorting through them now. It was a very successful trip photography-wise. Even after the first dirty edit, I have over 200 otter images to play with. Some of these are my best to date. I will post a few on here, once I have finished. I really focussed on the otters this time and was rarely distracted from my goals. I wanted otters in beautiful light and blue water. I almost achieved it, but not quite. Another goal was to capture an image of more than one otter in the same frame, preferably rubbing down and fluffy. This I did achieve several times, so I am over the moon!

The only other subjects I photographed was a very approachable Short-eared Owl (looking very handsome perched on a moss-covered fence post), a pair of tame sandpipers, and an oystercatcher that I snapped whilst waiting for an otter.

The Island is very beautiful at this time of year. I had only seen it during Autumn and Winter before as I usually travel to Mull out of season to avoid the crowds. However, the daylight hours are so short and the weather is usually so inclement, that the job of photographing otters is incredibly difficult. Anyway, no publishers or agents want dreary images of otters in the rain.

In May, June, and July, the trees are green, the moors are covered by swathes of cotton grass, thousands of foxgloves adorn the lanes and hedgerows, and tiny orchids and other flowers add a delicate note of colour to the moorland, coastal grasslands, and shoreline. Most importantly, the sun rises at around 3:30am and doesn't set until after 10:00pm. It was still light enough to walk around after 11:00pm!

The midges are around, but it is not too bad near the coasts. Occasionally I had a cloud of them around my head, but it is a small price to pay... Although I don't think my girlfriend would agree. They savaged her one morning and the poor lass looked like she had measles!

There has been a rodent population explosion on Mull this year. Mice, bank voles, and rabbits have multiplied beyond reckoning and the owls and raptors are taking full advantage - as well as the domestic cats! Hopefully it will be a bumper years for the Barn Owls and SEOs which have declined over the past few years.

I just want to say a big thank you to my hosts on the Isle of Mull - Richard and Maggie Edwards at Barrachandroman . Cheers for the copious glasses of wine and great company!