I’ve kept the best to last – OTTERS! At least, they are my favourite British mammal. Having been driven almost to extinction in England, they are now present in every county although I have yet to see them in an English river. We have often seen them in the sea in Norway, especially when ‘camping wild’ on the sea shore, but have only seen one in Scotland, on the same holiday at Glenloy Lodge.

We had stopped on a small ‘cliff’ by a loch to look for birds when we suddenly saw an otter swimming towards us with a large crab in its mouth. We stood still and held our breath ….. It got out on the rocks below us, just out of sight, and ate the crab. We didn’t try to get a better position for fear of frightening it, but when it had finished eating, it moved back into sight, turned and looked at us before silently slipping back into the clear water. A little way out, it surfaced and turned to watch us! What an amazing experience!

 

And finally – Grey Seals. It is now quite common to see Grey Seals around our British shores, especially where there are secluded, rocky coves. They come ashore to give birth, usually in the autumn and winter, so it was surprising to see some pups in Pembrokeshire one August. The adults are particularly well camouflaged amongst the grey rocks! How many can you see in the photo on the right?

 

We were delighted to see this pup suckling from its mother.