Tam bags hungry otter
One amateur photographer enjoyed an otter- ly unbelievable catch on the banks of the River Ayr.
Wildlife snapper Tam Reid, 51, was walking along the river when he saw an unusual sight at the Victoria Bridge, near Ayr town centre.
And after sneaking into position, he was able to catch an amazing photo of an otter with a salmon parr in its mouth just inches away from his lens.
He said: “That day I was at the Mill Brae car park to get photos of the waxwings – a winter visitor that comes in to eat the berries.
“We’d taken a walk under the bridge to Turner’s Brig to have a look and when I came back I noticed the back of it. I saw it moving and wondered what it was.
“It was facing away from me, so I sneaked in front of it, got the camera in front of the railing and snapped it.”
Retired policeman Tam first took up photography two years ago, and now spends his free time out in the wilds of Ayrshire capturing photos of wildlife, with birds his favourite creature to spot.
He captured the otter earlier this month – and he says spotting a wild otter on the banks of the River Ayr isn’t as uncommon as some might think.
Tam said: “You actually get otters on the River Ayr regularly. They’re quite prevalent now – they’ve always been there, but numbers went down a few years ago with the number of mink released into the wild.
“The otters have come back now the mink have reduced in population and they’re seen quite regularly in waters around the county.”