An Otterly Amazing Experience

Photographing Otters on the Isle of Mull

© Alex Cooper

There’s one mammal I’ve wanted to photograph above all otters, and only partially because it allows me to unleash some terrible puns.

The elusive Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) has evaded me most of my life — it wasn’t until a trip to North Wales a couple of years ago that I saw my first one in the wild.

I only managed one blurry photograph on that occasion, so I had unfinished business with this shy semi-aquatic mammal.

Many early-morning trips to wildlife reserves in England hadn’t yielded any sightings, but after moving to Scotland I fancied my chances. They’re widespread up here, but still skilled at staying out of sight.

After a couple more months without any luck, I booked a trip to a place known as an otter hotspot — the Isle of Mull, off Scotland’s west coast.

UK otters are technically known as river otters, as they need freshwater to survive, but many of Scotland’s coastal otters spend more time at sea, hunting for fish and crustaceans amongst the seaweed.

Luckily, Mull is full of sea lochs, and most of the roads hug the coastline, making much of the island suitable for otter spotting. (The single-track roads mean you can’t get too distracted, though.)

Still, there’s never a “sure thing” with wildlife photography, so I knew I wasn’t guaranteed a sighting. Find them would require some luck, but most of all, patience.

A Lucky Tip-Off

I was staying on Mull for almost a week, giving myself the best chance of finding my slippery subjects.

The first day — while decent for birds — passed without any sightings, and the second was equally otter-free. I managed to have a conversation with another photographer who’d been to Mull several times, and he shared a location where he’d had the most luck.

Before sunrise the next morning, I headed out. I’d only been driving along the edge of the loch for 10 minutes or so when I saw a shape bobbing along the shoreline.

Too small to be a seal. Too big to be a mink. Not tall enough to be a giraffe. I’d found it!