ABOUT ME

I live in a camper van with a West Highland Terrier for company.
My passion is creating images but it is a work in progress.
I am always willing to share what knowledge I have and can be contacted through the comments on this post or e-mail ADRIAN
ALL IMAGES WILL ENLARGE WITH A LEFT CLICK

Monday 12 May 2014

TURNED OUT A GOOD ONE. (12/05/15)

This morning was clear and bright. I walked east along the loch shore to see how the Bluebells were doing.

_MG_1795      They are doing fine. Not the cover that one see in other parts but compressed up with a telephoto they look acceptable.

There was a wonderful smell in the air. Amazing what a day without a cigarette does. I haven’t stopped I have just run out.

_MG_1796     Wild Garlic. I’ll pick some tomorrow and use it in a pasta with the chicken I’ll get when I go to the shop for Marlboro, milk, bread and a few other odds and ends. The shop is a three day camel march up hill so I’ll see if Donald will give me a lift.

_V0G8796      There are hundreds of Rabbits about. They are doing no harm at the moment but it does seem a bit daft buying chicken when they are in such plentiful supply. No dafter than buying cigarettes though.

I got a lift up the hill and purchased enough food and fags to last till Thursday. On the way back I looked at the river Foyers from the cab of the pickup truck and saw a splash. Out I hopped and crept through the undergrowth.

_MG_1805    The Otter swimming about. I managed half a dozen shots of which this one is the best. It was busy fishing so I also have a dozen or more shots of ripples and splashes. I have being trying to get this close for over a fortnight. Great to watch it. It tends to stay at the foot of the gorge and it’s dark.

_V0G8767

_V0G8769   There are plenty of worse places to sit and Otter watch the insects can be a problem but they were acceptable this morning.

It is giving another fine day tomorrow so I’ll pop down and see if I can see it again. I could do with a Bells or two to celebrate but the archaic laws here mean you can’t get any Carryouts till ten o’clock it was a bit early when I was at the shop.

That’s all for today, tomorrow I hope to have some close ups of the little beauty eating a Salmon.

42 comments:

  1. Otters and Bluebells! Glad both are OK today. Great reflections A.

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    1. Carol, all is well with my world today. It could do with being a little warmer but I'm just niggling over the temperature.

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  2. Great selection of images Adrian, and you caught the Otter at last?...now you know where it fishes you'll be able to stake it out...good luck!...[;o)

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    1. Trevor, it is very dark in the bottom of the gorge. I could only get within about thirty yards. I'd like to get within thirty feet. I'm pretty sure i saw two the other day. That would be good.

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  3. Finally got the Otter .... well done Adrian.
    More than I've ever achieved.

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    1. Keith, I was within a second of leaving the camera to go shopping but I'm glad I took it. The small 100mm-400mm is excellent it takes all the work out of a walk.

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  4. Lovely Otter swimming about, hope that gets a ciggie or two.

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    1. Bob, you are silly Otters can't smoke. The fags get too wet.

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  5. Well done you, you have now snapped your Otter, try and get some more shots to share. That last photo you show is a fantastic reflection.

    peter

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    1. Peter, I'll have a go and give it my best shot. I'll take a flask of coffee down tomorrow and stake out the river bank.

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  6. Well done on seeing (and capturing) the Otter Adrian... a beautiful animal to see in the wild.
    Fingers crossed you see it again in the morning.

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    1. Andrew, the problem is not seeing them but seeing them in a place I can creep up without them noticing.

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  7. Otters don't smoke, they don't drink coffee either! That's a great rabbit shot, looks to be the same size as my resident; if only I could take a photo like that. The last reflection would be enough to keep me happy for a month. Good luck finding the otter/s again.

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    1. Pauline, they don't? I'll take it a tin of tuna.
      This rabbit is about half grown. The dogs have virtually decided to leave them alone now. They can't catch them anyway.
      I have decided to stay here for three weeks so should get some more shots of the otter.

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  8. Terrific! You gotter...an otter in the wotter ;)

    White garlic is stunning, and the reflections just perfect.

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    1. Glo, I was ready for a good celebration.
      The Wild Garlic has a wonderful flower.
      It is a great place for reflections with the new leaves on the trees.

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  9. Thank heavens it's only otters you are stalking and not beavers. You can get arrested for taking pictures of beavers.... Oh and give up the fags you daft sod!

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    1. YP, not in Scotland you can't. I never see a policeman up here from one week to the next. I'd probably get a good slapping.
      Too late for the fags.....I hope the Americans reading this are bilingual.

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    2. Sorry I should have said cigarettes but you should give up the fags as well. I have heard that Alex Salmond has been camping by Loch Ness recently.

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    3. YP, don't worry. Superman is American and not only does he not know the difference between pants and trousers he wears ladies tights.
      You are not going to draw me on the independence issue. Cameron is a lying, indecisive, smug, bastard and I do like Alex Salmond. Alex will be around for years and Cameron will hopefully be residing with Samantha in retirement. Unless I can tempt her to join me for a life on the road.

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  10. You reminded me to look for blue bells here. They are very early. Yey, you got the otter. Awesome reflections.

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    1. Red, the bluebells are flowering in dribs and drabs this year. They should still be around for a week or two yet.
      I was happy yesterday but still have to get closer.

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  11. Wonderful images Adrian, hope to see more Otter photos in the near future. I am so envious. Don't thing there are any Otters in this area.
    Starting to warm up here, hope spring is here to stay. Still have some frosty nights. Can't plant anything in the garden yet. Have a great week.

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    1. Horst, I hope you'll see more otters.
      It looks as if we had another frost last night. I'll go out and check in a while.

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  12. HI Adrian Great reflections shots. Lovely that you managed to see and photograph the Otter. I saw one the other day at the Giant's Causway eating a fish. Have great day.

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    1. Margaret, so that's where it keeps disappearing to. It's a long swim for the little mite.

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  13. You lucky so and so. Actually, I'll take that back, you work hard for your photos. I'm green with envy over the otter shot. If you stop it eating a salmon you'd solve your lunch problem...

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    1. John, you were right the first time. There is more luck than judgement with my nature photography. There is a fish van visits here once a week but the fishmonger is ill. I was going to get some offcuts to bribe it with. I'll see what they have in Tesco tomorrow as I've decided to stay here a while longer.

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  14. What a great opportunity that you have the otter,

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    1. Bas, I see it every other day. It crossed the road in front of me once. Gave me a shock. It is only the second time I've found wild otters. The others are caged in tanks which I don't enjoy at all.

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  15. Wonderful photos, and I loved the otter!

    Btw apropos your cigarette comparison, you can't smoke a rabbit, you know.

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    1. Frances I have to get closer to it. I'll bribe it with prawn flavoured crisps. Did you check what the empty bags you found contained? I meant the crisp bags and what flavour.

      I'm sure that somewhere they smoke rabbit. There are all these posh little companies that supply squirrel, smoked duck, smoked almost anything edible even smoked cheese, I saw some and bought it. It came from up Graham's way and wasn't very nice. I finished it up on toast after a degenerate session in the pub. It still didn't taste nice but it took my mind off the graze I'd inflicted to my knee on the way home.

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  16. you've finally found the wild garlic! and what a nice walk ... amazing

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    1. Laura, yes there is plenty here. The stinging nettles are just coming through now so I'll do a recipe for garlic and nettle soup. I'll use potato and cream to thicken it.

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  17. Lovely flowers and hare. I see that new lens is sharp.

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  18. Guapos muy guapos tus reflejos, sensacional el puente!!
    Un abrazo.

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    1. Laura, es un hermoso lugar para sentarse y ver la nutria

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  19. Bribery with fish is how Simon King gets otters to show in the right place for his video streaming site.

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    1. John, the fish man that comes here is poorly. I have thought of bribing them. But I'm not paying Tesco prices and the gallon and a half of diesel to get fish. I have a little box WildCam thing but it eats batteries and without bait it is impossible to set up. It's no real hardship to sit by the river for an hour or so. When I shot this picture, I was sitting and waiting and heard a rustle in the leaf litter. I thought it was a Blackbird but it was a Stoat. I missed the little devil. It is dark in the bottom of the gorge here. I'm on ISO 800. Perhaps it's time to upgrade cameras or go somewhere brighter.

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  20. I've lived on Lewis for 40 years and at one time (apparently just before I bought this house 20 years ago) there was an otter run down the croft at the side of the house. In those 40 years I have seen an otter just once: in Harris. So I am envious of your find. I am reading this two days after you wrote it so I hope that when I get to tomorrow you've had even more luck.

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    1. Graham, for an animal that isn't particularly wary they are very hard to find. I will keep trying.

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