Species - Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris)
Location - Isle of Skye
Grid Ref - NG34277 53083
I’m pretty sure that there are Sea Otters closer to West Yorkshire than the 450 mile drive I made to the Isle of Skye, or maybe I was just after another excuse to visit this beautiful place again. On a previous visit here I had found the perfect place for sea otters, there was a small stream entering the Loch into a little cove, and I know that they like fresh water to clean the salt from their fur. There was also a large bright green mound of grass with fresh Spraint on the top, and crab claws littering the grass nearby. A small foldaway camping chair hidden away in some rocks, was another indicator that this was someone else’s perfect place to view Sea Otters.
So less than a year later and I return to this hidden gem, but my return visit is out of season and the camp site used to access the site is closed, so I have to negotiate with the land owner for permission to access the Loch side. After some awkward negotiations I make my way down to the Loch, and I had only been there less than 2 minutes when I see movement on the shore line, and sure enough there it is, a big dog otter. I drop to my knee bringing my camera up, but the otter has seen me and has turned tail before my lens can focus, and all I’m left with is a distance out of focus shot. Cursing myself for such sloppiness I continue onward towards the hidden cove scanning the water and shoreline but see nothing.
After a quick check of the hidden cove, I eventually arrive at a location that will give me an excellent view over the Spraint mound, where I am hopeful to get some images of an otter gnawing on a crab claw. I’m just in the process of donning my Ghillie suit, when I catch movement out of the corner of my eye and there less than 10 feet away from me is the same dog otter. But it hasn’t seen me, and I dare not move in fear of scaring it off for good. It passes me, reaches the Spraint mound and drops down into the cove on the other side and out of my sight. I finish of getting camouflaged and get myself comfy on the rocky slope with my camera poised. I then sit and wait for about 4 hours in the driving cold rain, but in my mind it will be worth it if I can get that epic shot that I’m after. There are plenty of Oyster-catchers on the shore line, and various gulls flying along the edge of the Loch on the strong winds, but the otter never made another appearance. Soaked through and freezing cold I make my way to the cove to have a quick look before I return back to the car, and there littering the ground were dozens of empty mussels shells that hadn’t been there a few hours earlier. Instead of watching the Spraint mound I should have been watching the cove and I may well have got the killer shot that I was after. Never mind, it just means that I’ll have to make a repeat visit to this stunning place.
Another top tip for getting close to Sea Otters, is if you see them out at sea wait for them to dive before you move, they generally dive for about 15 - 20 seconds which gives you time to move forwards, then stop as soon as they surface, keep repeating until you get to your chosen location. A Ghillie suit works well in these conditions and the Burlap suit I have blends in perfectly with the seaweed and shore line. Skye I’ll be back soon I promise.
