It has been five hours and that little photography devil is on my shoulder asking if I regret my decision…
Other than a kingfisher flying by, I haven’t seen or heard anything worth pointing the camera at. Lugging my 600mm and Z 9 up and down the river has also made my stomach acutely aware of an impending lunchtime, and so, giving into the rumbles, I find a log and sit myself down.
Rewind to this morning and, as I turn the key, the engine falls quiet. It’s dark with a good half hour before sunrise, so I treat myself to the last few minutes of my podcast, before I get out into the cold. Opening the door it is a tad chilly, but with a distinct feel of an early spring. The birds are vocal in the trees as I awkwardly tussle with my shoes, switching to my wellies whilst standing on one leg – something that never seems to get any easier! With my bag weighing me down, the lights of my car flash twice as I lock it, and I’m off towards the river.
Photographing otters can be a tough one. Hours of walking, staring down the river watching the ripples for some sudden excitement, only to be fooled into disappointment by a piece of vegetation bouncing about in the flow. Some days can be a trudge as I search out a sighting, but this morning I seem to be in luck as, after a brief 20 minutes, I find my target, not far from where I left them the night before!
The fallen trees along the bank provide a perfect safe haven for the fish these otters are hunting. It’s still pretty dark so I sit, watching through my binoculars. I’m not one to push into the high ISOs just to get ‘a shot’, so I’m content just enjoying the view. On the bank somewhere there is a squeak, the sound of what is most likely an otter cub hidden in the flooded undergrowth on the opposite side of the river…
An immediate splash follows and mum is up onto the bank with a fish in her mouth. From experience, a big meal means that I won’t be seeing these otters for a while, as they generally seem to lay up for a snooze after landing a big catch. It may be hours before they’re back out, so instead I decide to abandon my sure bet and head up river, because I’m hopeful that I will find the male.
A bit too close
It’s always a hard choice whether to leave wildlife when you’ve found it – maybe it’s best to stay and wait it out? My judgement is built on many years but largely comes down to asking myself, can I make a decent image here? With the dark foliage and steep banks restricting my ability to get low to the water, I’m not enamoured with the location and, ha
