OtterCam

Over the past couple of weeks I have had the trail camera set to try to get pictures of otters.  It has been an interesting and frustrating exercise but in the past few nights (and days) results have improved.  At first the only thing that triggered the camera was the rat but then I got the picture above.  I think it is a cub.  This bit of boardwalk is 60cm (2ft) wide so it is easy to judge the size of the otter.  The same animal made a couple more exposures, the second one so close it was out of focus.

I think the next one, taken on a different night, is also the cub, again just getting out of the water.

This one I think is the mother, larger and more elegant in shape.

And then a couple of shots in daylight, again of the mother.

It has been much more difficult to get pictures of the otter than either a fox or a badger (but definitely more satisfying).  I wonder if the otter's dense waterproof fur means that it has a smaller heat signature, especially if the fur is cold and wet, so it is less likely to trigger the camera.  Also a lot of pictures are disappointing or unusable and I have more rat photos than I know what to do with.  The lens tends to get steamed up in the early mornings when the camera is cold and the otters often stand in the wrong place or look the wrong way.

One night the camera caught a snipe.

Not wanting to be left out, a fox has occasionally wandered past the camera as well and paused for a sniff.