What a difference a day makes...
As if the Northern Lights was a good omen, my fortune with the Otters changed dramatically on my fourth day on the island. An early start to be out for sunrise proved to be a great idea. Not long after watching an Otter move along the coastline, backlit with the warming sun casting a golden glow across the Loch, did we have a second Otter in our sights out fishing. We moved into position by a likely spot we hoped the Otter would return with a catch, when all of a sudden another Otter popped up in the seaweed very close to where we were. He was 'crabbing', where they move around in the seaweed looking for crabs and small fish, bobbing up regularly with a small prize, and kept moving closer and closer to where we were.
Otters have very poor eyesight, relying mainly on an impeccable sense of smell and amazing hearing. Fortunately we were downwind and remained as still as possible. He came within 5 metres of us which gave a great opportunity for full frame head shots with the rising sun hitting his face. He came so close in fact you could tell he realised something unusual was watching him and we could hear him smell the air. He continued on his hunt for food and we slipped away. An amazing moment on what would turn out to be an incredible day...