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Otters and Sea Eagles The Isle of Mull - Mike Jones - part 3 of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Published 01/06/2012

To remain undetected by an otter you will need to be downwind and more importantly you will need to search for otters when they are in the water. They are a lot like cats, they like to feed, sleep, groom and play. An otter will generally feed close to the shore line and will dive on a frequent basis in order to hunt for food. They will feed on fish and crustaceans and when they capture something of any size they will bring it to the shore to eat.

It is this process of diving and eating that enables the photographer to get near to the otter. Having found one hunting along the shoreline, you will need to position yourself with camera and an extra-large bean bag, some way off the otter, downwind and wait for it to dive. When the otter dives run like hell in the direction of the otter counting to 10, having reached '10' drop down to the ground and keep still, waiting for the otter to dive again only to repeat the process. Unless they are preoccupied with a particular area otters will usually drift along a shoreline and it is important to try to gauge which direction they are going to move and be in position, within lens range when they come up on to the shoreline.

Having run, dropped and slid over rocks for what will seem like an eternity you will arrive at a point when you will see that the otter has popped up with either a large fish or crab in its mouth and is approaching the shore. If you have calculated correctly you will be half buried in seaweed with your camera resting on a bean bag waiting for the otter to come out, eat its lunch and then groom itself for 15 minutes followed up by a nice sleep with its fur drying and fluffing up for the following 20 minutes.

In reality you will learn that spending time alone with otters will lead to a one-sided conversation which usually goes something like this: "Alright, you have eaten enough now and it is time you came ashore near me now!!"

"Oh come on, you cannot be serious you have already swum two miles, what is wrong with the fish over here."

"That's it baby just bring that crab over here and eat it on this rock, what! nooo don't go that way you need to eat it here."

• Otters and Sea Eagles The Isle of Mull - Mike Jones page 1
  
• Otters and Sea Eagles The Isle of Mull - Mike Jones page 2
  
• Otters and Sea Eagles The Isle of Mull - Mike Jones page 3
  
• Otters and Sea Eagles The Isle of Mull - Mike Jones page 4
  
• Otters and Sea Eagles The Isle of Mull - Mike Jones page 5
  
• Otters and Sea Eagles The Isle of Mull - Mike Jones page 6
  
• Otters and Sea Eagles The Isle of Mull - Mike Jones page 7
  

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