'Twas a dark and stormy night on OtterCam

We got off lightly in Storm Darragh compared with some places but after 24 hours of heavy rain and strong winds the water level had risen significantly - enough to affect the viewpoint of the cameras.  Anticipating where the otters will be is hard enough at the best of times but this made it more difficult.  This is another "if only" video, where it could have been much better.  The otters were out of view of one camera and not quite in view of others which made it difficult to stitch together in editing.  Added to that a reed was blowing in the wind, the camera supports were moving around and there was water on the lenses.  This was the best I could do.  It contains behaviour I haven't seen before, with one of the cubs grooming the back of its mother's head - she was very patient.

It's also another good example of how light from several cameras improves the night-time pictures.

The cubs star on OtterCam

OtterCam is on a roll at the moment with the cubs showing up nearly every day.  I think they are only about 20 weeks old but they are getting more confident and more interested in exploring. Here are a few more videos from the past week.  First the family coming down the bank to the water.

The next time only one cub came out of the water - the other stayed in and we get a glimpse of it as the mother goes back in.  The cub on the bank re-entered in a hurry and with a splash, perhaps wanting to catch up but it might have been spooked by a robin on the bank.

The third time mother came out with both cubs.

Three of the cameras weren't perfectly positioned for this action so I have realigned them, hoping for even better things next week.