An Otterly Fab Way to Start the Day

Especially when the rest of it will be pretty much completely full of jobs around, and on, the house. Eaves to paint, garage to start tidying, front door to paint if there's time, bit of gardening to let the girls out, brew some beer, bathroom to clean....

But this morning, being woken by the cat at 7.30 (being 45 minutes later than she'd normally be fed during the week I can forgive her), and my back giving me a bit of bother meaning I needed to move and stretch it, I went down to the park in the pre-dawn gloom in the hope of seeing an otter that has been visiting regularly.

He duly obliged as I walked towards the pond; then chatting with someone who was there with binoculars and had seen two yesterday, it became apparent there were now three... As the light improved the shots got a little better (still had to shoot a high ISO); then after a little play near an island in the middle of the pond all three made towards us, before swimming under the boardwalk we were on, and making for the corner where a pipe leads to the burn that runs alongside.

I figured that was them done for the day, off somewhere to hole up for the day. But I've just seen on our park Facebook Page (that I post on as a member of the Park's committee) that they're back (about 11am). It's been a good year for otters in the park, which isn't really big enough to sustain them permanently, but I can only assume it means the territories that are have produced a lot of offspring this year.

It's the type of thing that serves to perk me up for the day - frankly I prefer animals to people, so for a misanthrope like me it makes for an ideal weekend.