Firstly, my apologies… this blog is a bit of a personal indulgence:
For regular readers of this blog and the Blashford volunteer team the following announcement will be completely unbelievable but it is absolutely true and I have witnesses in Assistant Education Officer Tracy and long-term volunteer placement Emily to prove it:
I took a short break after lunch to stretch my legs, ostensibly to see if the Ivy Lake tawny owl was still in residence (it was, but as good as that is, it is not the purpose of this blog), but partly also on the off-chance that I might catch a glimpse of the otter that a visitor casually mentioned having seen in Ivy Silt Pond this morning.
I didn’t see an otter.
…
I saw THREE!
Watched over by a kingfisher perched over the water we watched three otters playing in and out of the reeds for about 5 minutes as they worked their way from the bottom of the pond to about midway along at which point they disappeared into the reeds and did not re-materialize.
Magic!
Haven’t stopped grinning since!
Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve 
Success at last. How nice and now you must bring the family to see them!
Carol
🍸🍸
Terrible news: I was there all day yesterday and obviously missed everything!
Where SHOULD I be looking?!
Course….if you didn’t get a photo….it never happened.
It’s the law……
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Yippee, at last you have seen the elusive otter. Not one, but three eh. Now tis me thats jealous.
Thank you to everyone who has congratulated me on my long awaited sightings on and off line! To answer some of the comments received :
– be lovely for the kids to see them too. It’s taken me 13 years though and I’m not sure even my eldest has that much patience!
– where? Otter have been seen in all of the water bodies on the reserve as well as crossing Ivy Lane, Ellingham Drove and the A338 (generally by everyone but me until today! ) but today’s sightings were in the large pond between Woodland and Ivy South Hide.
-as for photographs I was far too busy savouring the moment to spoil it through the lens of my phone!
Wow! that is fantastic, I am so pleased for you.. I would love to see the Otters 🙂 x
Brilliant really pleased for you. Where does the tawny owl reside? I’d like to see that, they call outside my window all night but I rarely see them. Obviously I’d love to see the otters too.
Hi Sally – you will only get a very distant view and although visible with binoculars a telescope is better but the place to look is the southern shore of Ivy Lake from Ivy South Hide:
along the wooded edge to the lake (as opposed to the reed fringed margin) look for a large root plate. Go left from this past a distinctive silver birch to a tree on the lake edge with a reasonable covering of catkins but otherwise fairly bare. There is a large fork in this tree and a large-ish branch growing relatively horizontally to the left of the left fork and the owl is a pale “blob” perched on there, often partially obscured by the tip of a higher branch drooping down. Alternatively scan the distant tree line in this area for a clump of mistletoe and look beneath and left of this for said tree. Won’t make any sense sat in the comfort of home, but hopefully will do when you are in the hide! It was there again / still there when I opened up this morning. Jim
Thank goodness – at last! Ignore Phil, he’s just jealous. As am I!
Wow Jim. Its about time, I felt your pain, and still do!!! Your blog has just made me shriek with laughter. What a fab sight that must have been. No photos though 😉 (Only joking). The rest of us will just keep trying……patiently. 🙂