John these are fantastic! Heading up to Shetland in May and can't wait to try and capture some Otters!
Thank youFantastic images.
Magic shots , what lens did you use mate ..
Really enjoyed going back through this thread John, excellent work all round.
Mike
I'll be watching this thread. Keep them coming!
18/ sleeping cubs - can just make out the back of the 2nd one..
Sleeping Otter Cub, Shetland, September 2015 by John Moncrieff, on Flickr
19/ I quite liked this one - very tricky to capture the right moment, as it's head only appeared for the briefest of moments
Otter, Shetland, 2016 by John Moncrieff, on Flickr
Many thanks,
I've never looked for them in Orkney, though I assume the behaviour would be similar to Shetland. They don't need much of a stream, just a small fresh water piece of moorland will do them. Look for trails along the shore and small rich areas of grass where they spraint [emoji106]
A few from today - the first time I've seen an Otter with a Squat Lobster - lovely colours on the lobster, not that the Otter was caring.
24/
Otters, Shetland, 2017 by John Moncrieff, on Flickr
25/ Mother and cub
Otters, Shetland, 2017 by John Moncrieff, on Flickr
And a few from a pod of around 12-14 Killer Whales that we saw yesterday
Killer Whales, Shetland, 2017 by John Moncrieff, on Flickr
Killer Whales, Shetland, 2017 by John Moncrieff, on Flickr
+1Some lovely shots, #2 for me
+1Great additions
I know what you mean regarding tones
Do you follow the Shetland Orca Sightings Facebook page? I've actually seen more Killer Whales than Puffins in the last week, lol.Wow, i'd seen some video of the killer whales on a couple of the Facebook pages i follow. I wish i lived closer to scotland!
@crieffy i follow caithness sea watching on FB but looking on their page, they hadnt shared any of them so i have no idea which page i saw the video on - but i def saw it on facebook - annoying me now!
This is the Shetland one - some good footage
https://www.facebook.com/groups/shetlandorcasightings/
Sorry for the late reply - it is expensive, you'd really need to allow a couple of weeks to maximise chances of seeing any. Ferry is cheapest, then you'd need a hire car while in Shetland to get to wherever the Orcas may appearevery year i want to go to orca watch at the end of May but can never make it work money wise or logistics wise by myself :-/
Sorry for the late reply - these are all on Mainland Shetland. They're not particularly easy to find, though some people can get lucky at the inter-island ferry terminals, where the Otters are a bit more tolerant of human activity. I do a bit of guiding on my days off - could do a deal for TP members!Is this mainland or a different island? How easy are they to see? I would love to go to Shetland but it is a long way - I am not sure what would be cheapest driving and ferry or flying.
I have read that Yell is the best place for Otters in the UK but a) that is even further and more expensive than Mainland Shetland b) sadly my wife is not into nature very much and hates the cold so it would be tricky for me to go there.[Apologies for implying that Shetland might not be that warm]Sorry for the late reply - these are all on Mainland Shetland. They're not particularly easy to find, though some people can get lucky at the inter-island ferry terminals, where the Otters are a bit more tolerant of human activity. I do a bit of guiding on my days off - could do a deal for TP members!
Flying may be ok if you book far ahead - ferry is cheap without a cabin (they have sleep-pods available) and it's probably cheaper to hire a car once in Shetland rather than take your own on the boat. There seems to be direct flights from Manchester starting in September with Loganair, so that may be easier depending on where you are.
Sorry for the late reply - it is expensive, you'd really need to allow a couple of weeks to maximise chances of seeing any. Ferry is cheapest, then you'd need a hire car while in Shetland to get to wherever the Orcas may appear