Mammals Elusive River Otter

[-ST-]

I'm off my beaten path and subject to the whims and goodwill of well-meaning family.

Yesterday, someone thought it would be a fine idea to drive 150 kilometres to stand on a frozen lake (minus 17 degrees celsius) in bitterly cold (to me a wimpy west coaster), waiting for river otters to pop up through warm spots where the ice had melted a bit.

In the distance, we saw one on the ice, but it had disappeared by the time we got out of the car.

We waited in the wind for a good 90 minutes. All we saw was a coyote skipping across the ice in the distance.

We left, checked out some other sights, and returned on the way back, you know, just in case...

Thirty minutes later, this guy popped his head up for a moment, gave me a toothy grin, and then slipped back into the water.

• ILCE-1
• Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II (SEL70200GM2) + 2X Teleconverter (SEL20TC)
• 400.0 mm
• ƒ/6.3
• 1/1000 sec
• ISO 250

This was the view from the frozen lake.

• ILCE-1
• Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II (SEL70200GM2) + 2X Teleconverter (SEL20TC)
• 140.0 mm
• ƒ/6.3
• 1/1000 sec
• ISO 250

• ILCE-1
• Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II (SEL70200GM2) + 2X Teleconverter (SEL20TC)
• 140.0 mm
• ƒ/6.3
• 1/1000 sec
• ISO 400

• ILCE-1
• Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II (SEL70200GM2) + 2X Teleconverter (SEL20TC)
• 400.0 mm
• ƒ/5.6
• 1/500 sec
• ISO 125

• ILCE-1
• Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II (SEL70200GM2) + 2X Teleconverter (SEL20TC)
• 140.0 mm
• ƒ/5.6
• 1/500 sec
• ISO 200

 

[Unframed Dave]

When it's cold, you can't beat getting a little otter!

 

[Trout Fisher]

It's too bad you didn't have something interesting to look at and shoot while waiting for those independent otters. We do what we have to do.