I Saw Two Wild Otters Today!

[Tilly2]

...on the local boating lake. What a privilege that was.

Thrilling!

[Zacs-Master]

Must have been the price of the rowing boat hire.

[aelmpvw]

had someone done something to annoy them?

[Zacs-Master]

Seriously tho. Wonderful animals. My mum and dad took me to see Ring of Bright Water when I was about 7. Had a profound effect on me. Almost as bad as Bambi!

[Tilly2]

I meant, as opposed to captive ones, Ael.

You had to be there.

[Baldric]

Lovely aren't they. We don't see them in the wild where we are now,
But this is not too far away for a day out.

https://winghamwildlifepark.co.uk/experiences/otter-experience/

[sherrardk]

How lovely. My eldest daughter and himself know where some otters are living (in the bottom of an old wardrobe in a boating house) so have been going back to see if they can see them - only weeny little footprints so far.

[Tilly2]

No discarded crayfish claws, Sherr?

[ubasses]

We saw them a couple of weeks ago, they were in the main river then, they had attracted a small crowd but did not seem at all phased.

[sherrardk]

I don’t know Tilly, I’ll have to ask them.

[Tilly2]

That's a long way for me to go, Baldric. Bedford is a lot nearer.

[Tilly2]

Do you live in Bedford, Ubasses?

[Tilly2]

Zacs, both Ring of Bright Water and Tarka the Otter were heartbreaking.

[Zacs-Master]

Tilly, they were. I seriously think it had an effect on me and to this day makes me think whenever things seem like they’re going well it can all change in a breath.

[ubasses]

In 1 of the North Beds villages, it is our local shopping centre.

[Tilly2]

Ubasses, we walk along the Embankment almost daily and today was the first time we have seen them. It was a lovely, sunny morning. I thought they were nocturnal animals. I was overwhelmed when we saw them.

Zacs,I know what you mean. All our wildlife is precarious. It won't take much for them to become endangered.

[Prudie]

That must have been wonderful Tilly, I'm not sure I've ever seen a wild otter.

[Tilly2]

It was, Prudie. I had something in my eye at the time. It was just the same when I saw my first whale in the ocean. I'm such a softy.

[ubasses]

Tilly, we usually walk in the countryside, but have walked down the river quite a bit lately as Mr U's rehab after his new hip. The ground here is too uneven for him.
Before the op it was one of his regular runs. (now banned from running)

[Patsy33]

One was spotted by a local man, about 1/4 mile away from us last week. In stream that leads to canal. Person took photos. So cute!

[Tilly2]

Patsy, get down there and have a look see.