Otter watching - again!

An uncharacteristically frosty morning starting with clear blue skies, though by mid-morning a front was clearly approaching, bringing rain by lunchtime.

After dropping Alex at Orton Pit, I headed to Ferry Meadows for a walk. The frost was already beginning to melt,  but there was still plenty to see. On the way out I spotted a bold male Stonechat, in exactly the same spot where I photographed it last year, and later I had good views of a solitary Fieldfare. In the distance I could hear shrieks of the Ring-necked Parakeets that are now established in the valley.

On my way out I also had a glimpse of a baby Otter, largely hidden by low-growing willow, but by the time I returned to their corner, the adults were out feeding on the shoals of fish (see extra) that gather where a channel from the River Nene flows into Gunwade Lake.

At times they were too close to focus on - just fantastic. Lots of people got very good views, but the display was brought to a close by a large tractor passing over the bridge, and a  man in a kayak paddling along the lake edge. To much for even the boldest of otters, who were very well aware of their admiring audience.