There otter be an easier way to make a living
Lensman’s joy over his unique snap
A photographer has told how it took him more than a decade to snap a hungry otter with a puffin as its prey.
Snapper Richard Shucksmith has been keeping an eagle eye on Shetland’s otter population for more than 10 years.
Although he had seen the mammals feed on birds like guillemots and puffins, he had never managed to capture the animal dining on its catch through the lens.
The 44-year-old said it was a career high after documenting the shy creatures.
He sa id : “Hav ing spent yea r s photographing otters around Shetland, I had never seen an otter taking a puffin before.
“As it swam towards me, I couldn’t make out what it had caught and then realised it was a puffin but, not only that, it was alive.
“The tide was coming in, I had been up since 3am and I had almost given up on seeing the otters that day.
“But about 20m from where I was on the shore is a reef where they feed. I could see the puffins and otter going out fishing.
“She dived and so did the puffins. At first, I saw some flapping and I thought it was a fin but, when she popped back up, I could see it was a puffin’s head in her mouth. “It was so fascinating to look back at the picture.”
Richard’s image is featured in a new book called Scotland: A Rewilding Journey.
The book, by Peter Cairn, includes a series of images by wildlife photographers to act as a rallying call to make sure animals have protected wild spaces to roam free.
He said: “Rewi lding means forests will be abundant with life, rivers will be run freely, peatlands wi l l be rev ita l ised and our oceans can support great whales.”