Along my travels, I often meet photographers who go otter watching.

Accompanying them is a different matter.  People like to keep their otters to themselves.

So, today I managed to blag a ride!

And, guess what?  We saw an otter!

I have always wanted to photograph one ever since I bought this camera and managed to miss an all-singing-and-dancing otter close to home because I didn’t know how the camera worked.  Much to my frustration, I had some lovely photos of waves and a dark blur.

But now I know better – since then, I have read the manual!

Anywho, today I knew it was an otter because it wasn’t a seal!

I was taken on a lovely walk in the Shetland Autumn sunshine along the coast, looking for these elusive creatures.

Everyone in the whole world sees otters in Shetland and busily enjoys telling me how they trip up over them on a regular basis.

Everyone but me.

Like celebrities at Wimbledon, I can walk past and miss the lot!

So we were all sitting down, having a chat, putting the world to rights when I saw another!

It appeared out of nowhere and the movement was different from a seal.  I am very used to seals.

It had a fish and was sitting on a rock a little way out to see.

Best of all, it hadn’t seen us.

After eating, the otter swam around and then into shore.

Then it dived and came up on the shoreline, spotted us and quickly disappeared.

Who cares!  I have finally seen and photographed an otter.

For me, this is a huge achievement.

So, now I know how to spot the, where to look and where to go back.

One day.

A huge thank you to my friends. You have no idea how much this afternoon meant to me.

Coprophagia – from the Greek “kopros” for faeces and “phagein” for eat.

Yup, you get the gist!

After we had finished talking to Dreki and Lilja the other day, they went off together to be foals with whichever mare could put up with them.  Today, it was Hetja’s short straw.

One thing all foals have is coprophagia – the need for ingestion of faecal material.

Coprophagia is fascinating to watch.  The mare defaecates and the foals are instantly drawn to the newly dropped faeces and start digging/pawing at it, and then picking out little bits to eat.

To some, you might be revolted by this.

To us, I was very happy to see it occur – it means everything is normal and how it should be.

During this transitional time, the foals are beginning to eat grass but they also need to establish the micro-flora in their gut.

By eating a mare’s stools, the little ones will receive everything they need – minerals, vitamins, micro-organisms – all necessary for gut maintenance and therefore healthy development.

Stool eating in foals is also a method of developing the ability to graze selectively, ie deciding what is poisonous and what is not.

All very interesting.

Copraphagia should be encouraged – it maximises health and development in foals.

Foals usually grow out of it at about 6 months.

And now you know (and so do I – I vaguely did, but it was good to look up for the official version).

A friend and I went to visit Lyradale – I haven’t been back since we took everyone away early last Spring.

I didnt need to see it really but I just wanted to know if the grass was growing.

The answer isyes, yes it is.  Very much. So that’s good.

Last year, I didn’t buy Lyradale or move the ponies in until December so I am going to try and do the same again this year (unless, of course, we are desperate.)

Nothing is written in stone and you never know.  We will see what the winter weather brings.

Lyradale is special and particularly suited to winter grazing as it can offer natural shelter from three sides.

There is also more grass as there have been no sheep grazing this time.

So, my friend and I wandered around.

There are a few faint archaeological features which I would be very interested to know more about.

The first is the low rock boundary and parallel rocks down one side.

Next up, is the “round” house or long house” depending on your opinion.

And, lastly, there is the ninety degree turn on the wall boundary with an extra bit built in.  Now what is that all about?

So answers on a postcard, please.  If you want to come and dig or geo-phys the area, please do get in touch.  We would love to know more.

All being well, the equine inmates will arrive in January.  All not being well, they may come a few months earlier.

This afternoon we went down to see the Icelandic horse foals.

First up there is Lilja, who is our enchanting little filly.

And then there is Dreki, our solid colt foal.

(we teach them early about nose kisseys)

Some days, you don’t actually need the written word.  The photos speak for themselves.

Heaven.

That time of year again – when everyone moves fields ready for Autumn which can either be an Indian Summer or wind, gales, rain and worse.

I have a lovely field waiting that has been left since last winter ready for the four Shetland ladies.

I know it is not ideal for a certain body-type of girl but our thoughts are that even if Fivla gets fat, she will lose it as she will winter here for as long as possible and there will be no extra hard feed (I must keep telling myself that).

Also the grass is dying back now.

See what happens.

Everyone was more than happy to be put in this field.  The school children walk past and talk to them.

We moved the ponies two at a time and Fivla shouted her head off when we first took Vitamin away with Lyra.

The old ladies are a very close little bunch.

After that, we walked the dogs on the local beach.

We haven’t been to the beach for a while.

It was very empty.

Not a bird or seal to be seen.

So, BeAnne enjoyed a little swim.

And Loki wandered about.

So, that’s the girls moved ready for Autumn and possibly Winter (or at least December).  Life is rather complicated this year as Newt has not been castrated (one nut Newt) and I don’t want to split the Minions but I do want them to live at Lyradale (another field 2 miles from home).  I can’t let Newt live with the girls.

In my head, it all makes sense.  Basically, we just have to go with the flow – weather, grass, Newt’s non nut appearance, etc….