tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17224905930887193132024-02-19T06:16:52.105+00:00Shetland Otter WatchingEncounters and photography of Shetland's otters with Brydon Thomason.Brydon Thomasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02978189349965928422noreply@blogger.comBlogger103125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1722490593088719313.post-36566108085635159732016-06-04T11:55:00.003+01:002016-06-04T11:55:58.372+01:00An interview on Shetlands otters with NorthLink Ferries I was delighted to be asked recently to do an interview for NorthLink Ferries on otters in Shetland. I found it a really cool and exciting thing to write, answering questions by Magnus Dixon. He asked some pretty interesting questions and needless to say, when writing anything to do with otters, I found it hard to stop writing!<br />
You can read the interview and see the images on their website http://www.northlinkferries.co.uk/shetland-blog/shetland-otters/<br />
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Brydon Thomasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02978189349965928422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1722490593088719313.post-81060137947265422452016-05-25T20:15:00.000+01:002016-05-25T20:15:29.871+01:00Review of the last few months- a quick catch up Shetland Otter image galleryIv'e said this so many times before but wow, I cant believe I have not posted on my otter blog since end of January! As ever, it is always about time- lack of it- certainly not a lack of otters! This year is even busier than last year for otter photo tours and otter watching tours which you can read about here http://www.shetlandnature.net/otters/<br />
I'm delighted again this season to have Josh Jaggard, (a fellow otter enthusiast from Norfolk) working with me as well as new to the SN team of guides, John Moncrieff- a native Shetland otter addict! Also continuing leading otter tours, Gary Bell and occasionally co-author of our Otters in Shetland book, Richard Shucksmith <br />
So, although I'm not getting out at all with my own camera at the moment, here are a few images from over last few months from the rare few times I've been out on my own to shoot....<br />
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Early April; this mother and two cubs have now separated.<br />
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Back in late February; a family of three cubs which had separated by late March/April<br />
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One of the above three cubs.<br />
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Above and bellow; early April. one of two cubs, this family are still together and doing well.<br />
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Above and bellow; cubs crossing a sand beach. These guys are also still with their mum.<br />
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Mum and cub play fight as they dry off after grooming following their early morning foraging.<br />
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<br />Brydon Thomasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02978189349965928422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1722490593088719313.post-40018906813083782622016-01-12T22:21:00.002+00:002016-01-12T22:21:45.263+00:00A good start to year for Shetland otter family<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Enjoyed my first good otter photography fix of 2016 at the weekend. Spent a fabulous three hours or so with this mother and her three cubs. When wind direction allows and I have time to be in the field Iv'e been trying to work on these guys when I'm out with my own camera. It really is so good this winter to be able to head out if the weathers good, not guiding and commitments at the desk allow. This was been a privilege I just couldn't allow myself last winter as we were so committed to getting our <a href="http://www.shetlandnature.net/otters/otter-book/">otter book</a> finished.<br />
As usual I am monitoring several families at various locations but I wanted to try to build a story of these guys throughout the winter since I started working on them. This is the same family as in my last post about a month ago.<br />
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The mother in front racing for the shore with a small sathe/pollock or sillock/piltock as we would call them here in Shetland. There is few more exhilarating a spectacle than a mother landing prey for her cubs. Such adrenaline and action as she powers towards the shore, each cub determined to claim the catch. Its a special sight to see a mum and one but when she has three cubs, each wanting the catch as if its the last meal they will see- its a sight you will never forget. <br />
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The mother had been away for some time, leaving the cubs to play, groom and sleep on the shore. The three cubs must all have heard her coming in from foraging as whilst playing all three lifted there heads to look in the same direction in near perfect synchronization. I'm always amazed at this- so many times I can be watching or photographing cubs like this when somehow they are alerted to mum coming in, sometimes you see a mother coming in with prey whilst cubs sleep and all of a sudden they wake and bound towards the shore to meet her. The puzzling thing to me is that she is silent to my ears and often not upwind so its not like they can smell her. <br />
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Two of the cubs having a play fight. I love when I get the opportunity to capture a nice clean backdrop of sky or sea by getting a good low angle, not often all that easy to do. <br />
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Play fighting such as this can often appear aggressive and its little wonder with those teeth. <br />
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Whilst mum and one of the cubs are off foraging these two stayed ashore to groom, the one in the foreground having a good old yawn and stretch of the jaws.<br />
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Home time; the mother returned and after getting cubs all back together continued along the shore back in the direction of their main holt. By then it was coming up for 15:00 in the afternoon and light was fading fast- I was shooting at over 3000ISO by that time. I took that as my chance to slip away as cautiously as I had arrived.<br />
If you're interested in seeing otters this season visit http://www.shetlandnature.net/otters/<br />
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<br />Brydon Thomasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02978189349965928422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1722490593088719313.post-29908114667989302162015-12-11T20:15:00.003+00:002015-12-11T20:15:43.427+00:00A Shetland otter and her three cubs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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An encounter from last week when I was leading a one-to-one photo assignment working on otters. We had a fantastic four days of encounters including this mother and her three cubs. Again like last year there seems to be a few three cub families which is really good to see, indicating a good breeding season. These cubs are little more than five months old now and interestingly they are along a stretch of shore where there hasn't been a family for two years. This is actually one of two families here at this site so I am particularly pleased to see the site doing well again.<br />
As unusual as it is for me to shoot when leading assignments, on the second day I was encouraged to do so, so shoot I did! Thank you Amelia!<br />
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She led the cubs up the bank to spraint and groom on a grassy ledge on the cliff face before heading down and off to forage, leaving the cubs to play on the shore.<br />
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It wasn't long before she reappeared powering back to the cubs through the waves with a leur/saithe in her jaws.<br />
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A brief squabble but this little fellow claimed the prize. Once firmly secured in the mouth, it scampered away from the other two cubs to eat the catch.<br />
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Throughout the few hours we spent with these guys, two of the three cubs continued to be fantastically playful. They play with such energy, mischief and competitive streak. Few better sights to see. Brydon Thomasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02978189349965928422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1722490593088719313.post-34375023694021271352015-12-11T19:29:00.000+00:002015-12-11T19:29:33.798+00:00How could we not...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Backdated from November;</div>
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On our way to a grey seal pupping colony today and quite unusually, compared to conventional every day otter work, came across this family on route there. The otter work I do is always preempted outings for particular individuals or families I know but these guys were a family Id not seen before along a stretch of Shetland shore I rarely visit, although its provided me a few encounters over the years. Me and my good friend and colleague Micky Maher thought we could hardly not stop and spend some time with them.</div>
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<span id="goog_946233728"></span><span id="goog_946233729"></span><br />Brydon Thomasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02978189349965928422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1722490593088719313.post-82178888846029598402015-12-09T16:13:00.001+00:002015-12-09T16:18:26.768+00:00Book launch: Otters in Shetland The tale of the draatsi<div class="MsoNormal">
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At last- after years of planning through <span style="background: white; color: #222222;">35,931</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span></span>words, 276 pages and just over 220 photographs and the inevitable blood
sweat and tears endured with such a huge project, it is finally here and the
story of Shetlands otters is communicated through our book <i>Otters in Shetland- The tale of the draatsi</i>. </div>
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As it is for anyone who puts their
heart and soul into writing a book, especially one on a subject so special and
emotive to them, we are immensely pleased and equally proud of this project. <o:p></o:p></div>
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With a gap of over 20 years since anything was published on
Shetlands otters it was really important to us to tell their full story and bridge
a gap between a science-based reference book and a photographic story-telling
book. <o:p></o:p></div>
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From beginning to end the story flows with each and every page
and chapter leading into the next; from the Islands and geography; the foundations
of the food chain; how they live on the coast through to family life and so on.
We also bring in fascinating interviews with Shetlanders who many years ago
once hunted them for the fur trade which offers a unique insight into mans
relationship in the isles both past and present. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Through our time photographing otters we have captured and
documented many, in fact most aspects of their lives and in doing so have created
a unique portfolio of images. Incorporated into the informative captions, which
accompany these images we bring in the fascinating scientific research from Dr
Hans Kruuk, a world leading authority on otters, who we were truly privileged to
have write the foreword and to receive such praise from him is a hugely
gratifying commendation to us.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Our
publisher, The Shetland Times said in their recent press release: "The
book has been gaining plaudits from experts in the field of wildlife and
photography weeks even before its release date" and then went on to quote
Hans Kruuk and wildlife cameraman Doug Allan.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here's a couple of extracts from the foreword by DR Hans Kruuk:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>"...With all
this, the authors make a large contribution to conservation, not just of otters
but of the entire coastal ecosystem. Conservation is served by the simple
statement of the beauty of the animals in the context of science and natural
history, as well as by the detailed explanation of exactly what otters need to
survive. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>"The reader is
made aware of the otters’ hardships in terms of exposure to cold waters, of the
need to catch prey quickly as well as keeping their fur clean to keep out the
cold – for which they need the many small sources of fresh water along the
Shetland coast (which, incidentally, are almost absent in places where otters are
few, such as Orkney or the Scottish east coast).<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>"The book is a
thoughtful object of beauty, of otters, and of the Shetland coasts. The authors
should be immensely proud of this great effort".<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Wildlife cameraman Doug Allan:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i> “This is a lovely book that deserves to be on
the shelf of any Shetland visitor, or anyone who loves the wild outdoors.
Sensitively but informatively written, illustrated by images that could only
have been taken by photographers who clearly love, respect and understand their
subject and the location. "Shetland should be grateful that there are
people with the passion, tenacity and skills of Brydon and Richard, who’ve
truly captured the wonder of Shetland’s best loved mammal”.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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TV wildlife presenter Iolo
Williams:</div>
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<i>“Brydon
Thomason and Richard Shucksmith have produced a gem of a book which brings the
story of otters on Shetland right up to date. Visually, it is stunning, but it
is also packed full of information on the ecology and history of this most
charismatic of British mammals. Whether you are a fan of otters, a follower of
British wildlife or a lover of beautiful books, this is a must for your reading
list”.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b>Details
of the book<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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The book, in
hardback only, costs £28.00 and is available to pre-order through our publisher <a href="http://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/shop/product.php?productid=313&cat=0&page=">here</a>
or <a href="http://www.shetlandnature.net/contact/">through us</a> </div>
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The official launch
date is 12th December in Lerwick at The Shetland Times Bookshop from 14:00 to 16:00hrs<o:p></o:p></div>
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In total we
tell the story of Otters in Shetland through <span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">35,931</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"> </span></span>words, 276 pages and just over 220
photographs.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We hope you
like it! <b><span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
Brydon Thomasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02978189349965928422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1722490593088719313.post-86813037390699078262015-11-19T21:21:00.004+00:002015-11-19T22:25:51.424+00:00A holt in a barnHere in Shetland an otter 'holting up' in a man made structure is actually not all that uncommon. Anywhere with an old boat shed, barn or outhouse close to the shore can be an option to an otter seeking the comfort that such buildings offer. It seems to be that these provide what an otter seeks from any holt which in short is somewhere sheltered and dry and usually quiet and undisturbed that they can feel safe and a derelict old barn with the roof caved in was exactly the home this mother chose for her two cubs.<br />
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I'm leading an otter itinerary this week for a cameraman which is going really well. In a quest to shoot otters from a more unusual perspective I went to check out an old barn otters often use, which they still are. Anyway, I was sharing the experience of this little assignment from a a couple of winters back and so I had the thought to post about it.<br />
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It was actually a tip off that led me to this family. A good friend of ours Julie Thomson told me of an otter she'd seen crossing the road in exactly the same place on her way to work twice in one week, as she drove along a shoreside road carrying a peerie fish. I knew this only meant one thing- she must have young cubs close by and I knew there was an old barn she'd used before. Investigating the following day, it was clear it was being used and so I set up Bushnell camera's to see what was happening and if I could photograph them in daylight. Sure enough, after a week of the trail camera being in place, I could see from video sequences triggered by the motion sensor that she had two young cubs and that on days that she was using it, she left between 8 and 9 each morning- I had a chance...! <br />
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It took me three mornings, sneaking in to an adjacent barn- also dilapidated but this gave me the ideal place to hide. However in order to get a clear view of the door without them knowing I was hiding, I had to shoot through a hole in the roof, over the wall head and to see through it, had to stack a pile of old fish boxes to get high enough. Precarious but it worked.<br />
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<br />Brydon Thomasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02978189349965928422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1722490593088719313.post-49355009096393273212015-11-16T15:41:00.006+00:002015-11-16T15:50:07.507+00:00Foraging in gale force winds and wavesA female otter foraging in gale force winds. Encounters like these offer a fascinating insight into just how challenging life can be for an otter on the Shetland coasts. The wind was at least up to force 8 at times, probably gusting more with the occasional shower that swept in from th south east. I was actually out with returning otter photography guest Dave Curley.<br />
I took Dave to this particular site to try to capture some slightly more unusual images, knowing that there was a good chance she'd be out and that the sea conditions would be excellent to try to capture some different and unusual otter images. <br />
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Brydon Thomasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02978189349965928422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1722490593088719313.post-7930969506542149812015-11-16T15:13:00.000+00:002015-11-16T15:13:14.510+00:00Landing a codlingMore catching up...<br />
Another sequence from mid August.<br />
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A mother catching a beautiful and bright red codling, takes it in to the shore where she releases it for her cub.<br />
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<br />Brydon Thomasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02978189349965928422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1722490593088719313.post-1836871991103878522015-11-16T14:58:00.002+00:002015-11-16T14:58:41.424+00:00A fantastic flatfish <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Backdating a couple of blog posts from as long ago as August! Where does the time go...</div>
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This was a session with a mother and cubs. The image of her landing the lovely flatfish was her sneaking ashore, obviously needing the meal herself as when she was powering in for the shore- from as far out as 40 metres or more with cubs chasing after her- she shrugged off the two cubs chase and changed direction. She landed just in front of me whilst the cubs ended up together on the shore further along, seemingly bewildered by loosing her- but the meal too. She ended up just out of view only 20 metres away where she scoffed the lot.</div>
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This image was slightly later when they were reunited.<br />
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<br />Brydon Thomasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02978189349965928422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1722490593088719313.post-35377888241674231142015-08-10T14:31:00.000+01:002015-09-29T14:35:28.297+01:00Late summer and still togetherEach year working on otters here in Shetland I get to know many families, their routines and the ranges they use. Its crucial to the trips we run that I keep up to date with each of the sites I use and each family in those ranges around the isles.<br />
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This particular mum and two cubs, one of three families along one particular stretch of shore I work, have stayed together well over a year now. One of these families the cubs are now actually coming up on 16 months old and not surprisingly spending long periods away from mum but these guys are slightly younger, still under a year old.</div>
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Spent a few hours with them throughout which enjoyed an insight to their daily routine; foraging, , grooming, resting and for the cubs, some play. Unfortunately they were always quite a distance away so the images I managed needed quite a crop- that's often just how it is with photographing otters, the terrain can sometimes offer opportunity to stalk or crawl closer but this open shore constrains that. Beautiful to watch.<br />
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Mum lands a sea scorpian with one of cubs in hot pursuit. Interestingly this family in particular seem to specialize in this particular prey with mum catching several good sized every time Iv'e been with them this summer.<br />
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A good old rough and tumble after foraging and feeding, minutes after this, they were fast asleep, which was my time to retreat.</div>
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I then continued along the shore to the far end of the range where I suspected one of the other families would be and found them just starting to snuggle down to sleep off a foraging session.</div>
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Brydon Thomasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02978189349965928422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1722490593088719313.post-73778177914547229862015-08-08T16:20:00.000+01:002015-09-30T12:47:59.897+01:00A long awaited 'fix'....Its a strange concept to get used to for any photographer; making photographs happen but not actually taking any! This is of course a small price to pay of course, being out in the field on a weekly basis, very often daily even, in an environment you love and with a species you adore. But that's just how it is when you lead photographers and make a living around leading tours.<br />
Its a feeling anyone in a similar position will know well- the desperation that builds and builds to get out with your own camera again and man what a buzz when you do. This is how I felt to get out on my own recently after several weeks leading and enjoying some superlative otter photo opportunities for guests- what its all about of course and I'm luck to be so busy doing so.<br />
Here's a sequence from one of several families I have been working on this summer. It was so good to spend a couple of hours with them.<br />
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Brydon Thomasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02978189349965928422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1722490593088719313.post-5961269622811211212015-05-29T15:51:00.000+01:002015-09-28T16:05:25.917+01:00A Marigold moment...Not something I manage to do very often- in fact Iv'e never actually nailed a shot of an otter amongst, alongside or even near Marsh-marigolds. I say 'nailed', I haven't really done so at all here but never the less, was pleased to capture a frame or two of an otter alongside a blaze of beautiful marsh-marigolds in a freshwater stream. It makes such a difference to the usual 'conventional' seaweed shoreline habitat they are usually captured in here.<br />
So many times when out working with otters in spring I see spots where my camera trap would work so well or imagine setting up one of my hides to wait out the opportunity of a shot- its not a shot you see anywhere really which illustrates how hard a shot it is to get.<br />
Not quite what Iv'e dreamed of but hay ho....<br />
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<br />Brydon Thomasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02978189349965928422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1722490593088719313.post-18839763794726925062015-04-30T15:41:00.000+01:002015-09-28T15:51:33.442+01:00A close encounterPhotographing, or at least, had been photographing a mother and her two cubs until they returned to their holt. Whilst waiting to reappear this dog turned up on the scene. A brief sniff at the holt entrance was met with an abrupt send off by mother.<br />
He continued on, following the shore some 40 yards to in front of where I was hiding amongst the cover of some boulders. Without knowing I was there, he landed right infront of me on the shore, took a few steps up the beach where he sprainted then continued along his circuit of his range, seemingly unaware I was ever there. It was typical of such a close encounter, when your out of site and scent, when their eyes feel like they are right on you but yet they don't actually see you. He ended up too close to focus with my 500mm. I just sat tight and stayed silent.<br />
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<br />Brydon Thomasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02978189349965928422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1722490593088719313.post-84722073049322732012015-04-07T10:55:00.002+01:002015-04-07T10:55:52.089+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Catching up on recent otter encounters, a sequence from recent trip where we spent a couple of hours with this family. Although it was a howling gale, up to force nine at times, these two cubs, guided by their mother, carried on with their day none the less. It was a strange day to be out with otters with the battering wind and yet it was a beautiful blue sky day.</div>
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Much of the time we were with them the mother was away foraging but before she had left the cubs on the shore, we had taken our time to move into a good position before they returned to shore. We were in this particular encounter for an hour, the two cubs, playing, grooming and of course sleeping, unaware of us hiding in the shadows of the bank. </div>
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With an onshore wind and early morning sunrise from over your shoulder, the light was beautiful on the cubs, almost at times too golden on their drying gingery brown fur. This time of morning and wind direction is perfect not only as the low angle shines wonderfully on them but also offers a great deal of cover in the shadows of the bank, making it even less likely for an otter to see you.<br />
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<br />Brydon Thomasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02978189349965928422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1722490593088719313.post-92031715652636585602015-03-29T22:13:00.002+01:002015-03-29T22:13:30.262+01:00Otters in early morning Shetland spring lightA couple of images of an early morning encounter we had a couple of weeks back guiding for Tony Davison. I'm out leading an itinerary again this week too so not much time at desk in evening to catch up.<br />
This was one of three families we spent time with that day. A mum and three cubs along a stretch of shore I don't tend to visit very often, the shoreline is not conducive to good angles for photography and there is very little in the way of a bank to hide against/under.<br />
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<i>On there way back to a lie up among boulders, mum and two of her three cubs </i><br />
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<br />Brydon Thomasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02978189349965928422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1722490593088719313.post-77865723125903058162015-03-24T12:44:00.002+00:002015-03-24T12:44:58.089+00:00A very busy and otter filled winter- catching up I hardly know where to start- its probably been my most frustrating but yet busiest and exciting winters to date. Iv'e been 100% committed to a very big project so my time out with my own camera, or anything else, has been, well lets say zilcho! Its been good and steady with otter trips too, I've been leading in each month of the winter so have been out with otters most weeks and we have enjoyed fantastic encounters on all of them. Some have been photography and some for the full Shetland otter experience. Its been awesome for all guests on these as its one of the most successful breeding seasons for otters for several years at the sites I use at least.<br />
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But any way, its been a very busy winter, which is brilliant but man how I have missed getting out with my own camera.<br />
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One of my recent Shetland otter photography itineraries was for Tony Davison, who Iv'e known for many years from his birding trips to the isles in autumn, who has been planning to book me for years. We had a great week and because we know each other so well, Tony insisted I brought my own gear- something I don't do when guiding as I have a job to do and its not to take my own images- unless of course asked to- it would be rude to refuse! Here are a few images from that week.<br />
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<i>We use the shore for cover to get into position where I know this mother and her dog cub will land on the shore for a grooming session, we are bang on time and in perfect position, low down in the shade of the bank. </i><br />
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<i>They move up the beach and as anticipated enjoy a grooming session together. </i><br />
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<i>A cutesie one, while the dog cub rolls on his back their paws meet as they reach out.</i><br />
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So this was one of the encounters, I will try to follow up soon with another from the same week. As usual you can find out about the otter tours at http://www.shetlandnature.net/otters/Brydon Thomasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02978189349965928422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1722490593088719313.post-16082391938870039822014-11-26T21:16:00.001+00:002014-11-26T21:16:36.212+00:00Otters in Shetland- a mother with her three young cubs, late OctoberIt often takes far me too long to sort through images after an exciting session with Otters and this is certainly one of those occasions. This was the day I spent with Italian photographer Mauro Mozzarelli who I was leading a one-to-one photography assignment with, specifically to work on young-cub families like these guys. Grey seal pups were also worked on. Late autumn- a mega time to visit Shetland.<br />
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We had already had some fantastic otter photography and worked on several families and this was the third three-cub family I had taken him to. It was a superb morning despite the weather! Very over cast with drizzle or rain almost constant.<br />
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Mauro is one of those marvellous guests who quickly become good friends and as with any other assignment I take him on- he insists I also shoot my own images- something I don't do as a rule with guests working on Otters. So this mum and three were certainly a lot of fun for the four hours we spent with them. For over two hours they were taking it in turns to eat away at an enormous Lumsucker- possibly the biggest Ive ever seen an otter with, at least a third of the size of the mum.<br />
She had already caught it when we picked them up on the shore- she must have had some strain landing it- it appeared similar size to cubs!<br />
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They'd chew away, often two or three of family at the time but then of course the cubs would set to for a good old play fight and ruff'n tumble- something I could watch forever. They are so boisterous and mischievous, not to mention utterly adorable! They have such energy.<br />
It was actually time pressing for Mauro's departure that finally saw us actually leaving. They seemed so content to work around the vicinity of the comfort and safety of their holt and the massive meal of the Lumpsucker on the shore- which barely looked even half done when we sneaked away.<br />
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Like all the other families I am working on at the moment, I really hope for a settled winter so that the good breeding season otters appear to have had, pays off. More with these guys very soon.....<br />
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Brydon Thomasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02978189349965928422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1722490593088719313.post-67136059072067052012014-11-07T12:33:00.000+00:002014-12-22T12:34:28.073+00:00Introducing Doug Allan to Shetlands otters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span lang="EN-US">What a privilege to take out one of the worlds best known and experienced wildlife cameramen to search for Shetlands otters. On top of a career spanning over 30 years making wildlife films and documentaries for the BBC (and many others) it is easy to see why Doug has had such a prolific and successful career as he is such a genuine, committed and considerate fellow who is a joy to spend time with.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Although time and tide was perhaps not in our favor we did well on our day out and spent time with one of the many families I study.</span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US">"Not the most promising of days when Brydon picked me up in Lerwick, the mist hanging on the hills, white horses on the water. But the man’s utterly enthusiastic, his passion for Shetland wildlife shines through.</span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><i>As he we explored stretches of shoreline where he knew the otter territories, Brydon patiently explained about heeding the wind direction, staying off the skyline, talking softly, how to look for the tell tale signs of the otter signs and holts. Iv'e worked with many guides while filming, and I could see he had real sensitivity and all the patience. The afternoon slipped by effortlessly.</i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><i>We spent 30 minutes watching a female with her two cubs full frame binocular view, diving, catching fish and taking them ashore to eat and playing on the shore. Simply magic.</i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><i>You know the great thing about Brydon? No matter what happens, you know you’re going to have a good day when you’re with him". </i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><i><b>Doug Allan</b></i></span></div>
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Brydon Thomasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02978189349965928422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1722490593088719313.post-32775895204430489512014-10-30T20:00:00.000+00:002014-11-15T13:28:56.836+00:00Shetland Otter families on a beautiful late autumn day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A superb encounter today, well actually several. So nice spending time in the great company of Mauro, who more than a client has now become a good friend as is so often the case when spending such special time with such captivating wild animals. The fact that Mauro insists I also take pictures- something I don't do when working on such itineraries, has made it all the more enjoyable. We spent time with three different families today at one site- its the busiest I've seen this site in years. </div>
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This particular site is pretty much as good as you can get for photographing otters; long relatively straight shoreline, fairly flat and open terrain with a good sized bank to hide in the shadow of with lovely 'gravelly' stretches of beach where the composition is nice and clean and very few if any boulders that often they can be behind and out of view.<br />
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All these images except the last one of two cubs together, are of the same mum and two cubs, which we spent several hours with, often within just a few metres and can sometimes be the case, with them too close to photograph. At one point the trotted up the beach, passing us by about five meters away when all we could do was hide our faces, keep completely still until they continued on along the shore after habitual spraining on a favoured rock high up the beach.<br />
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At one point during the encounter the mother landed an eel pout which you can see the dog cub holding in his jaws. Rather typically he spent several minutes 'toying' with the live catch in the shallows after receiving it from mum. This is quite typical behaviour of cubs of this age, playing with prey no doubt helps them hone their hunting skills and seems to be something they really enjoy. Often they will toss it into the air and then dive back onto it as it tries to sprickle away to escape.<br />
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We continued along the shore where we spent time with two more families, both mums with two cubs but with the way the wind had slightly altered and also the angle of the coast also changes, wind was not suitable for an approach so we just simply enjoyed an hour of observations and while doing so we had a Rough-legged Buzzard (one that's been around for a couple of weeks) drift over- all in all the perfect day!<br />
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<br />Brydon Thomasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02978189349965928422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1722490593088719313.post-64622903915705376832014-10-27T20:30:00.000+00:002014-11-04T10:43:03.447+00:00A session with mum and three older cubs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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The first morning of this weeks one-to-one photography assignment, with returning guest from Italy Mauro Muzzareli- who I have now come to know so well he insists I shoot my own images too- Im hardly going to refuse now am I?!! What a way to start his week itinerary, I took him to look for this mother and three fairly well grown cubs and we found them as soon as we arrived, I picked them up foraging offshore together before we had even gotten out of the car. We spent over three hours with them before leaving them foraging further out of the voe. This is one of the older of several three-cub families that I am working on just now- i'm not sure if I've ever seen such breeding success at so many sites- its awesome! </div>
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Mum and three cubs; a typical composition of how a family of otters thrive on the intimate bond.</div>
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The dog cub of this family of three landing his own octopus.<br />
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One of the female cubs eating a sea scorpion she caught herself, all paws and jaws as she enjoys her catch.Brydon Thomasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02978189349965928422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1722490593088719313.post-41144115869707580952014-09-29T20:17:00.000+01:002014-11-02T21:43:52.661+00:00Shetland Otter families in late September<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The older three cub family above (around five/six months) and the younger ones, around four/five months bellow.<br />
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A fantastic and very typical late September morning, a light SE wind, low cloud and drizzle with the occasional clearing and dry spell- it took quite a lot to resist the birding temptations but the prospect of spending time with a mother and three young cubs won the day!<br />
Really was so authentic and such a fitting autumn scene and sound, whilst searching for and watching this mum and her cubs there were several large flocks of Pink-footed geese going over, I even managed to shoot some video with the D4 of the cubs at play whilst the flocks of pinks called overhead. <br />
Interestingly I had the other mum and three cubs at this same site on the way to find these guys, an older family but only by a couple of months.Worked on them for just half an hour or so but moved on as it was still fairly dark and they appeared to be on the move, then I moved on to these guys.<br />
When I first found her I was scanning the bank of one of her main holts when her head popped up- typically anxious and checking the air for any unwanted scents- mine of course was blowing well inland and in opposite direction. I was also quite a distance from her holt so as not to be too close and give her the distance needed so to be out of sight. I was thrilled to watch her drag each cub one by one down the grassy bank and across the boulder beach to the waters edge.<br />
Eventually they she began to forage and I followed her for several hours with the cubs before heading away whenthey returned to another holt to lay up later in the morning. <br />
<br />Brydon Thomasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02978189349965928422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1722490593088719313.post-41011855089809851052014-09-20T21:19:00.002+01:002014-09-20T21:19:32.115+01:00Young otter cubs in Shetland<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Its a really exciting time in Shetland for otters as many females that have had cubs mid to late summer are gaining confidence with their cubs and are beginning to be out a little more with them, taking them out into the salt water and getting them used to an environment that they are so dependent on. </div>
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Over the past few weeks I have been seeing several 'new' families at many of the sites I use. Some of the cubs, (including a couple of families with three) are just three to four months old. This week I am delighted to actually have some time off to work on them. I am very much looking forward to working at my own photography as I tend not to take my camera when working with photographers on otters for too many reasons to go into in this post. </div>
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Mind you it really is of course a privilege and always a pleasure to do the work I do but there is often a day when I do of course wish I had my own gear- like earlier this week watching a mum with three young cubs, so young that they can not even dive under water yet and she carrying them by the scruff of their necks! </div>
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So any way, here is a selection of young cubs from previous years, taken between autumn and early winter, I hope to add some more recent images of young cubs over the coming days.... </div>
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<br />Brydon Thomasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02978189349965928422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1722490593088719313.post-34629134210193176242014-09-10T13:15:00.003+01:002014-09-10T13:21:21.327+01:00Otters in Shetland- mum and dog cub against black backdrop A selection of images from an encounter last week. A mum and her dog cub who is now coming up on a year old now. Last weeks 1-2-1 otter photography itinerary went really well with some really fantastic behaviour and plenty of otters each day, up to six on one in particular. Currently leading another 1-2-1 this week which is also going well. More on that soon....<br />
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Some might think this sequence dark, which it is a tad but I liked the black rocks as a backdrop actually, a slightly different look to the composition and went for the underexposed look.<br />
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Brydon Thomasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02978189349965928422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1722490593088719313.post-44828156411846092572014-08-23T17:16:00.002+01:002014-08-23T17:16:56.312+01:00Otters in Shetland; ayoung family in early autumn<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here is a sequence of images from my most recent and one of my nicest sessions with an otter family this year. This was the first time Id spent with this particular family and I was really thrilled to see this mother, (Identifiable by scar on her nose and damage to left eye) who I thought must have a family by the sprainting activity Id noted on the couple of brief times Id passed through her range over the last couple of months. Going by her dates and when her last family separated and when I saw her with a dog otter (with notable amorous intentions!), I expected her to have cubs early this summer and sure enough, she does indeed. These two fabulous little fellows must be up around at least five months old now.</div>
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Its often difficult to keep track of all the many sites I work as my diary tends to be so booked up- (which is obviously fantastic of course). I need to use the sites that are most active in order to deliver for the guests I lead for. What tends to be the general pattern around otter sites or coastlines they inhabit is that while there is a family in the mothers range, they are active within it for the year or so they are together, (although patterns may vary throughout the seasons) then that site can and usually will be quiet for a time until the cycle repeats again. It is over such period I tend to avoid such a site as they can be so unpredictable (perhaps a daft thing to say as otters are rarely 'predictable'!)There is often little time to monitor the sites that have been quiet for a few months and now there are a few such sites I am starting to get around again. This is of course where the use of Bushnell cameras come in.... more on that later...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6DeXf6h7pmEevfQwructFJKhmb3-Xam7fEhA1KaeElVsH_fK0MSq4tAakGN6twzKoD2ihhCwaTzCajKeK4mNRvcKQtzBDrdGNJUxDjc5Or6o0XEyTudKLd_m5eLbUEZM5CExme5kpY2E/s1600/_DSC8988_Otters_young-cubs-with-flatty_web.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6DeXf6h7pmEevfQwructFJKhmb3-Xam7fEhA1KaeElVsH_fK0MSq4tAakGN6twzKoD2ihhCwaTzCajKeK4mNRvcKQtzBDrdGNJUxDjc5Or6o0XEyTudKLd_m5eLbUEZM5CExme5kpY2E/s1600/_DSC8988_Otters_young-cubs-with-flatty_web.gif" height="424" width="640" /></a>The light really was wonderful for this session. I was leading Italian photographer Mauritzio and partner Silvana. I refrain from setting out with my own gear when leading otter photography itineraries (and have done ever since I started) as my focus needs to be on the client however when someone insists and you've already had a few good days of the itinerary, you cant really say no! It would be plain rude! We were with them for over six hours, finding them just after mid day and not leaving them until approaching seven in the evening. One of the many fantastic aspects of working with otters on a Shetland shoreline is often the time that you can spend with an individual or a family. Watching them as they go about their routine without ever knowing you are there. Such a strange concept to think how utterly exhilarating and emotive such an experience can be to the observer, within a few metres of such a shy and fascinating animal and yet they are blissfully unaware of us or the joy they bring.<br />
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Its worth mentioning for anyone toying with the idea to get in touch for a visit to Shetland to do Otters with me that the diary for 2015 really is starting to fill in. Dates were booking up in any case but last weekends visit to the Birdfair in Rutland saw another few slots fill in. Brydon Thomasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02978189349965928422noreply@blogger.com