Otter family at breakfast time on the trail camera

There was a new moon last night and a four metre high tide this morning at ten minutes to seven. High water would have driven the otters out of the sea some time before. They appeared on the trail camera at ten to eight running along the bank of a small freshwater pond on Trevor's campsite (Ardnamurchan Campsite).

You know yourself what happens when you've been in the sea, you need a freshwater shower to get rid of the salt, it's the same for otters and they use this pond regularly even though it's only ten metres from the nearest tent site.

I've been trying to get a video clip of them for over a month, All I have had has been grass blowing in the wind or stray sheep, until this morning, when I had 18 clips of grass blowing followed by one of the otter family.

You have to be patient and persistent even with a trail cam. If you are here on holiday and want to see otters here are a few tips:-

• Get out before dawn or dusk
• Move slowly scanning the shore in front of you
• Spend more time sitting still than moving
• Otters will be out of the water at low tide and high tide
• Look for footprints in wet sand and spraint on green topped rocks or mounds above the high tide mark
• You are most likely to see otters swimming when the sea when the water is flat calm the bow wave gives them away.

Good luck!