Otter in the marshes, Cornwall 17th Jan 22

 An early start for me on a frosty winter morning paid dividends with some fantastic views of an otter hunting in the pools and reeds of the marshes.

I first noticed it at about 8 am before the sun had crested the valley sides and my camera settings were really poor, however I still took photos and it came ever closer. 

After about 40 minutes it disappeared into the reeds and didn't show until almost 10 o'clock. This time the light was much better although it didn't venture quite so close.

It was fantastic to watch it swirling in the calm mirrored surface of the pools and a joy to follow its line of bubbles as it went from place to place.

Tracking the underwater movement by watching the line of bubbles

Often the tail is the most visible bit of the otter

 

The prey must have been in the muddy depths of the pool as it kept surfacing with food but also adorned in mud and weeds. 

Covered in mud so must have been scouring the bottom of the pool

Covered in weeds

 

Eventually I spotted it come out of the water and trot across the meadow into a drainage ditch but then it showed up again 15 minutes later in another patch of open water. 

Here are a few of the several hundred images I took this morning......

a rare event for it to clamber out of the water

A good set of teeth

Did it hear my camera or smell my toast