#most majestic view i ever got in 2023

[darkcreamz95]

New years are never the same again because

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAN PETEH~

Bonus video of Jan's guitar solo from the the Hague show that I used as ref for this drawing:

Also my airplane seat setup when I painted this while flying from Amsterdam to Taipei to go back to Kuala Lumpur a few weeks ago:

[dansnaturepictures]

Seeing Otters on Mull: A dream come true

As I have said in previous posts I am so pleased that one of the main aims of us going on the Heatherlea Spring Into Scotland tour last week was realized when on three separate occasions with five individuals in total on Tuesday and Wednesday we finally saw our first ever wild Otters. This had long been a dream of mine and was one of my greatest ever moments of watching wildlife, so I wanted to do a post focusing on it.

I probably use the cliché about dreams coming true a lot, but when it came to seeing wild Otters it was literal as on a number of nights across a few years I did dream that I saw an Otter. It was a mammal I just longed to see in the wild, and every time I woke up and it wasn’t real there was sort of a healthy dose of disappointment that I’d not seen one in the wild. With Blandford Forum and Stour Valley Nature Reserve in Dorset places we’d tried to see them before and the hope I might see one in Winchester on the River Itchen or at Blashford Lakes where my Mum’s husband saw one once most dreams were of seeing one on a river I believe. But as we sought sea Otters at this Hebridean hotspot, there was a wonderful moment last Monday on the eve of our full day in Mull on the tour where my sub conscious thought was so in sync with my ambition and in a jokey way almost on command I dreamed of seeing an Otter in the sea that night.

I was reflecting after the sightings whilst away where the dream of seeing an Otter came from. They are obviously such beautiful and fascinating mammals, an indicator of healthy water and such a captivating and charming creature. I sort of seemed to recall that after getting into birdwatching and branching into other wildlife in my teen years seeing them on TV and reading about them made me feel enticed by this iconic animal and want to see one and excited by the prospect of it. Which is true, but it also goes much deeper. I have been fascinated by them since I was a kid. I remember as a young kid knowing of Otters and being stunned when I heard they were on the River Itchen our local river (I definitely want to see them one day here too!). I found myself really drawn to Otters as a child, something fostered by our regular family visits to the New Forest Wildlife Park when it was known as the Otter and Owl Sanctuary a fantastic place allowing for such brilliant views of wonderful animals where I had some powerful early moments when I first got into birdwatching with wild birds seen there and of course I loved the owls. I recall a great visit there as I was getting into photography as a kid too which was important. I found Otters adorable. 

Tuesday 11th April 2023 at the height of the sensational Scotland trip for us felt like that make or break day. I had had the idea that the place for me to finally see Otters may be Shetland somewhere I really want to go, but my Mum had Mull on the mind for it. The classic line she has mentioned a lot over the last year and a bit ahead of the trip was that when my sister asked her if she wanted a party for her 60th birthday on Monday she said no. When my sister asked what she did want she replied going to Mull to see Otters. So with the family all chipping in to make it happen, off we went. Since the trip had been booked though it became clear for me that Mull, somewhere I had always wanted to visit, gave us an amazing chance for Otters too. It had become a good spirited topic of conversation within the amazing tour group we had of would we see one. When looking over the majestic Loch Spelve on the way to Croggan my Mum and I had walked away from where we were parked for a minute to explore. I took a photo of a Pheasant and she was about to take a photo of one of the beautiful gushing rivers we were taken by all week. Then came the moment. We heard from one of the group something like “they’ve got an Otter”. I then instinctively ran back towards where the mini buses were parked, and we were in paradise as over those next few minutes we watched two Otters weaving through the water. Angelic and euphoric glimpses of these marvelous mammals, their fur kissed by the fine spring sunlight. As the whole group enjoyed these wonderful views, the pair proceeded to swim to shore allowing for exquisite views and disappear under a gorse bush where their holt may have been located. These were such glorious minutes of wildlife watching, moments that will stay with me forever as the dream was realised. I took the second, third, fourth and fifth pictures in this photoset of these two. 

Following what unfolded into generally one of our best ever days of wildlife watching on Mull with White-tailed Eagles what first drew me to Mull, Golden Eagles, Razorbill, Hen Harrier, Merlin hunting meadow pipits, Great Northern Diver, Slavonian Grebe and more seen, Wednesday arrived and it was time to leave Mull after a little explore in the rain before a ferry towards midday. But two more Otter encounters awaited as firstly at Dervaig it was sensational as two more Otters were spotted out to sea. We enjoyed prolonged views of these two in the water, with one swimming to a rock which was fantastic. It was a real precious few minutes making the most of seeing wild Otters and really feeling the experience. One of the group put his scope up and we watched the Otters through an open door with it raining which was a magical and feel good moment in the trip. I took the final five pictures in this set here. And just as we were about to board the ferry at Fishnish back to the mainland another Otter was spotted. It was amazing to see this one as well, and I took the first picture in this photoset with my bridge camera of all the ones I took of the Otters from a distance some I was pleased with I felt this showed the facial characteristics and of course those teeth the best. We felt truly spoiled and lucky to have got to seen these Otters, and we have Heatherlea and our fellow tour guests to thank. 

With the whole cliche but not cliche thing I thought I would end with one. Seeing my first ever wild Otters on the sensational, rugged and wild Mull in many ways represented an ending as I may well literally dream about Otters again but I won’t have that same feeling of waking up and it just being a dream having never seen one. But it is my first sighting so of course it is just the beginning. I would love to see more Otters in future and would like to see them on rivers locally. As I’ve had with birds before that were unattainable for me for a long time but we finally saw such as Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Tawny Owl and another star of our trip Black Guillemot after finally seeing the first yeah I won’t see them every year maybe but it feels that little bit more possible to be able to see them. I like that about nature watching that there’s still always so much to see, I can’t wait to continue dreaming of Otters, but I do so now with some of the most extraordinary memories on magical Mull to relive and enjoy.

I did these two posts about the days we saw Otters: https://dansnaturepictures.tumblr.com/post/714972457668427776/11th-april-2023-mull-otters-eagles-and-more and https://dansnaturepictures.tumblr.com/post/714974057045622784/12th-april-2023-day-four-of-the-scotland-trip and this one summarising our time in Scotland: https://dansnaturepictures.tumblr.com/post/714784952556945408/round-up-of-our-trip-to-scotland-8th-15th-april

[dansnaturepictures]

25/03/2023-Farlington Marshes and home 

Flora and fauna photos taken today in this set: 1. Alexanders, my first of the year a beautiful flower that adorns the area around the car park and was great to see today. 2. A record shot of one of my first Wheatears of the year the main target today and we saw about four, a lovely spring moment I always enjoy seeing these and for a bird I can sometimes have a wait to see in year’s it’s by one day my second earliest ever sighting of them in a year after my first of 2018 five years ago yesterday. 3. Dunlins, Turnstones and Ringed Plovers crammed onto some stones in good camouflage, it was a delight to see the Ringed Plovers shimmer white as the group took off. 4, 5 and 6. A smart pair of Shovelers I enjoyed seeing on the sea. 7. Some more great cowslips to see. 8 and 9. Some gorgeous Brent Geese we got some epic and close views of these birds I adore close to the fence as they fed on grass, an amazing intimate natural moment with one of the bird species that inspires me most. 10. Goldfinch in the garden in a splendid splash of sunlight in the back garden this evening. 

On a packed and exciting afternoon of birdwatching at Farlington I had a fair few other highlights, led by a fantastic view of an alluring and handsome Water Pipit near to the lake, only the fourth I’ve ever seen of the species alongside the Wheatears taking my year list to 158 which I am so thrilled with. Other highlights were another thrilling view here this winter of a Short-eared Owl here seeing it fly briefly another bird I love, giant Marsh Harrier flying over the reedbed mobbed by a Lapwing at one point, majestic Kestrels, exotic Mediterranean Gulls seen well again, loads of Avocets on the windswept lake, Shelducks, Great Crested Grebes, Little Egrets including one near a Grey Heron, Redshanks, Black-tailed Godwit, Lesser Black-backed Gulls, female Pheasants seen nicely and Greenfinch with Cetti’s Warbler heard. Red deadnettle and ragwort between the road and car park were nice to see. I enjoyed great views of Buzzard before leaving out the back, on the way and on the way home tonight with Roe Deer on the way back too.