British Red asked that I show him my Otter, Mink pics, from this trip so here they are, I'll put up a proper report when I get back from this weekend 
I was walking along a track from Calgery bay in Mull, past the quay, maybe 200 metres when I came across a water cut heading for the sea, I had just thought to myself, thats a perfect entry for an Otter, took another step, and theres a (turned out to be a Mink) heading towards me along the cut, we both stop, have a look at each other and the Mink decides to carry on, meanwhile numpty me still has his camera in the bag , so hes walking straight for me, I'm trying to get the camera out and turned on.....velcro...riiip, Mink jumps about 2 ft in the air and disappears, bugger, bugger, bugger, take the camera out anyway, and up he pops for another look
He/she was a decent size, perhaps over 2 ft nose to tail tip.
The second encounter, was one coming in from the sea, I didnt know they did that, so was sure I had an Otter in my sights, but when it reached the rocks, you can see by the body shape its not an Otter
Third encounter I didnt get a photo, the little begger was moving too fast in the rocks, less than a foot long, but it jumped in and out of the water with no problem, it did take time to shake itself everytime it reached another rock.
Forth encounter, this is one day within maybe 100 metres of the first sighting btw over maybe a 3 hr period. And I think this is an Otter, look at the whiskers, unfortunately it saw me, dived and disappeared.
Next Day, I drove down to Salen, I know there was Otters there as I saw them there last time I visited, about 300 metres back towards Tobermory from the 3 old fishing vessels. I had only been there maybe 15 mins, there seems always to be seals on the small Island, and the Otters fish all around it, there were 2 in the bay that morning, but one decided to come ashore, I figured out where it would come ashore and was there to greet it
It used a storm drain pipe to access the woods behind the road, very clever.
More later.
Cheers
Stephen
I was walking along a track from Calgery bay in Mull, past the quay, maybe 200 metres when I came across a water cut heading for the sea, I had just thought to myself, thats a perfect entry for an Otter, took another step, and theres a (turned out to be a Mink) heading towards me along the cut, we both stop, have a look at each other and the Mink decides to carry on, meanwhile numpty me still has his camera in the bag
, so hes walking straight for me, I'm trying to get the camera out and turned on.....velcro...riiip, Mink jumps about 2 ft in the air and disappears, bugger, bugger, bugger, take the camera out anyway, and up he pops for another look
He/she was a decent size, perhaps over 2 ft nose to tail tip.
The second encounter, was one coming in from the sea, I didnt know they did that, so was sure I had an Otter in my sights, but when it reached the rocks, you can see by the body shape its not an Otter
Third encounter I didnt get a photo, the little begger was moving too fast in the rocks, less than a foot long, but it jumped in and out of the water with no problem, it did take time to shake itself everytime it reached another rock.
Forth encounter, this is one day within maybe 100 metres of the first sighting btw over maybe a 3 hr period. And I think this is an Otter, look at the whiskers, unfortunately it saw me, dived and disappeared.
Next Day, I drove down to Salen, I know there was Otters there as I saw them there last time I visited, about 300 metres back towards Tobermory from the 3 old fishing vessels. I had only been there maybe 15 mins, there seems always to be seals on the small Island, and the Otters fish all around it, there were 2 in the bay that morning, but one decided to come ashore, I figured out where it would come ashore and was there to greet it
It used a storm drain pipe to access the woods behind the road, very clever.
More later.
Cheers
Stephen
It really annoys her when I tell tales of otters playing at my feet in the rivers around Dumfries.
