Otter in my Local Patch

When I first started blogging as a Local Patch Reporter for the BBC Wildlife Magazine I had a list of wildlife aims, one of them being to find otters in my Local Patch.

I have spent lots of my time looking for Otters, by walking, by boat, by swimming and by talking to local fishermen.

I got excited last year when I found what looked like otter footprints.

A couple of weeks ago I had an email from a friend, Aimee. A member of her family had spotted an otter in their garden and she knew I was keen to see a wild Otter.

These are the photos that they sent me.

Along with these two short films.

Over the weekend I was invited to spend some time looking for the Otter.
Late afternoon we went to see where the Otter had been seen.
Whilst setting up the hide a Kingfisher flew passed making a large amount of noise.
For the first couple of minutes we saw nothing except a few birds fly over.
Just as the sun was going down the temperature dropped and my hands started to feel cold, a moorhen came out of the water then waddled along pecking at the grass.
I was not very happy because at first I thought the Moorhen was a Otter.
 

This is where I think the otter gets out of the water

Overnight we left the trail camera where the otter had been spotted but the camera only picked up a couple of rabbits.
I feel a little disappointed that I didn't see an otter for myself but still excited to find out that they are on my Local Patch.
I will keep looking.