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Otter...or not?

wildlife, gardening, environment, Rural living, Pets and Vets
stewamax
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Re: Otter...or not?

#235229

Postby stewamax » July 9th, 2019, 3:22 pm

Snorvey wrote:Then it surfaced and quacked. Turns out it was a ducks bottom.

Or a cunning camouflaged otter: "Come on little ducklings. It's quite safe over here..."
Williamson's Tarka the Otter (and his Salar the Salmon) illustrate just how clever otters can be.

AleisterCrowley
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Re: Otter...or not?

#235232

Postby AleisterCrowley » July 9th, 2019, 3:31 pm

I'm heading to otter country mid-August (well, Ottery St Mary area, not sure if there are any otters in those parts. I will be near the River Tale which is a tributary of the River Otter)

colin
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Re: Otter...or not?

#235288

Postby colin » July 9th, 2019, 6:12 pm

AleisterCrowley wrote:I'm heading to otter country mid-August (well, Ottery St Mary area, not sure if there are any otters in those parts. I will be near the River Tale which is a tributary of the River Otter)

Don't forget the sun cream it may be a little otter by then.

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Re: Otter...or not?

#235289

Postby TedSwippet » July 9th, 2019, 6:14 pm

A fitter fits;
A cutter cuts;
And an aircraft spotter spots;
A baby-sitter
Baby-sits --
But an otter never ots.

Though sinners sin
And thinners thin
And paper-blotters blot
I've never yet
Had letters let
Or seen an otter ot.

A batter bats
(Or scatters scats);
A potting shed's for potting;
But no one's found
A bounder bound
Or caught an otter otting.

-- Ralph Lewin

AleisterCrowley
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Re: Otter...or not?

#235366

Postby AleisterCrowley » July 9th, 2019, 10:11 pm

It was Tarka Dhal in the version I heard. In 1975... ;)

jackdaww
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Re: Otter...or not?

#235434

Postby jackdaww » July 10th, 2019, 8:22 am

i spotted a pair of otters years ago in a welsh river .

until i realised they were mink...

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Re: Otter...or not?

#235657

Postby BobbyD » July 10th, 2019, 6:35 pm

AleisterCrowley wrote:I'm heading to otter country mid-August (well, Ottery St Mary area, not sure if there are any otters in those parts. I will be near the River Tale which is a tributary of the River Otter)



MARTIN: OK: so as long as we average at least eleven miles an hour, we should get to Ottery St Mary by six.
DOUGLAS: Well, it’s a punishing pace but I think I’m up to it.
ARTHUR: Why’s it called that, then, Skip?
MARTIN: What?
ARTHUR: Ottery St Mary.
MARTIN: I’ve no idea.
ARTHUR: Do you know, Douglas?
DOUGLAS: Yes.
MARTIN: Do you?
DOUGLAS: Certainly I do. You see, St Mary is the patron saint of Devon and she, of course, was famously martyred by being eaten alive by otters.
ARTHUR: Really?
DOUGLAS: Oh yes – rabid otters. So she’s always portrayed in pictures absolutely covered in otters.
ARTHUR: What, eating her?
DOUGLAS: Sometimes, in the more fire and brimstone churches. Elsewhere, the assumption is they’re all in heaven now and have made up, so they’re just shown milling about her, nuzzling her affectionately and offering her ottery kisses and gifts of haddock.
MARTIN: Douglas ...
ARTHUR: Why would the otters go to heaven if they ate a saint?
DOUGLAS: You’ve put your finger, Arthur, as is so often your way, on the crux of a thorny theological problem. So far, our best guess is simply that St Peter’s got a real soft spot for otters. He looks into those whiskery faces and goes, (in an affectionate voice) “You guys! I can’t stay mad at you!” and lets them into heaven.
ARTHUR: So heaven is full of otters!
DOUGLAS: More than you can possibly imagine.
MARTIN: So, in your case, Arthur, probably be about twelve.
ARTHUR: Hey, I can imagine loads of otters!
DOUGLAS: Really? How many?
ARTHUR: A million!
DOUGLAS: You see, I don’t think you can. I don’t think anyone can.
ARTHUR: I can. I’m doing it now! (Long pause) Wow!
DOUGLAS: No, you’re just imagining a lot of otters and then saying that’s a million. I don’t think anyone can actually genuinely imagine more than about twenty otters at a time.
MARTIN: Oh, come on. I mean, I can definitely imagine a hundred otters.
ARTHUR: Mmm, me too, yellow car.
DOUGLAS: All right. How much space do they take up?
MARTIN: Er ...
DOUGLAS: Could you, for instance, get a hundred otters on board Gerti?
MARTIN: Yes, I reckon you could.
DOUGLAS: And is it a jam-packed RSPCA-nightmare of a plane, or are the otters lounging in relative comfort?
MARTIN: Well, OK, there’s, er, there’s sixteen seats, so, say, two to a seat.
DOUGLAS: They’re good friends, these otters?
MARTIN: Let’s hope so. Then one in each overhead compartment ...
DOUGLAS: Always remembering to open them with care because otters may have shifted during the flight.
ARTHUR: And, er, one under each seat?
DOUGLAS: Yes! Good thinking.
MARTIN: But that’s where the lifejackets are.
DOUGLAS: That’s all right – otters can swim. Now, how many in the galley?
MARTIN: Er, four on the floor, two on the worktops? Well, it depends – are we carrying Carolyn and Arthur?
DOUGLAS: To wait on the otters? I think that would be an indulgence, frankly. I think we’d be better off replacing them with more otters.
MARTIN: Might be better off replacing Arthur with an otter anyway!
ARTHUR (indignantly): Hey!
DOUGLAS: So, thirty-two in the seats, sixteen in the overhead lockers, sixteen under the seats, six in the galley ...
MARTIN: ... fifteen in the hold?
DOUGLAS: Oh, twenty easily; and six or seven in the aisle.
MARTIN: Call it seven.
DOUGLAS: That’s, what, ninety-seven; and three in the flight deck. A hundred!
ARTHUR: Brilliant!
MARTIN: No. Not in the flight deck.
DOUGLAS: Hypothetically, though ...
MARTIN: I don’t care how hypothetical it is, I’m not flying with a live otter in the flight deck.
DOUGLAS: I don’t see why not. Historically, very few hijackings have been carried out by otters.
MARTIN: Well, I’m sorry, but I don’t think the Civil Aviation Authority would be too keen on the idea.
DOUGLAS: To be quite honest with you, Captain, I don’t think there’s a whole lot about this plane full of unsupervised otters the CAA is going to love.

stewamax
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Re: Otter...or not?

#235690

Postby stewamax » July 10th, 2019, 8:33 pm

Python fans may remember Mr Pither's Cycling Tour (Cf Adrian Mole or Mr Pooter):

Cycling along, dips out of sight, there is a crash and a cow moos.

Pither: Aug. 26th. Fell off near Ottery St. Mary. The pump caught in my trouser leg. Decide to wear short trousers from now on.

Cut to another hedgerow. Pither's head bowling along. Short burst of music. Crash.

Pither: Fell off near Tiverton. Perhaps a shorter pump is the answer.

etc

jackdaww
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Re: Otter...or not?

#235709

Postby jackdaww » July 10th, 2019, 9:46 pm

stewamax wrote:Python fans may remember Mr Pither's Cycling Tour (Cf Adrian Mole or Mr Pooter):

Cycling along, dips out of sight, there is a crash and a cow moos.

Pither: Aug. 26th. Fell off near Ottery St. Mary. The pump caught in my trouser leg. Decide to wear short trousers from now on.

Cut to another hedgerow. Pither's head bowling along. Short burst of music. Crash.

Pither: Fell off near Tiverton. Perhaps a shorter pump is the answer.

etc


=====================================

magic .

i remember the the theme music , but not its name - possibly schubert , or some opera DAK? .

servodude
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Re: Otter...or not?

#235743

Postby servodude » July 11th, 2019, 4:00 am

There's a town in South West Tasmania called Geeveston
It is famous (in its own way) as a place to see platypus(es) (https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Attracti ... mania.html).

Really recommend it but be prepared that the ratio of ducks to platypus is about 20 to 1

If you think it's easy to mistake a duck for an otter
- just wait till you're trying to spot something that's the same colour as the local ducks
- and has a bloody bill

- sd

jackdaww
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Re: Otter...or not?

#236353

Postby jackdaww » July 13th, 2019, 7:55 am

jackdaww wrote:
stewamax wrote:Python fans may remember Mr Pither's Cycling Tour (Cf Adrian Mole or Mr Pooter):

Cycling along, dips out of sight, there is a crash and a cow moos.

Pither: Aug. 26th. Fell off near Ottery St. Mary. The pump caught in my trouser leg. Decide to wear short trousers from now on.

Cut to another hedgerow. Pither's head bowling along. Short burst of music. Crash.

Pither: Fell off near Tiverton. Perhaps a shorter pump is the answer.

etc


=====================================

magic .

i remember the the theme music , but not its name - possibly schubert , or some opera DAK? .


==========

the music is -- the waltz from Act II of the opera Faust by Charles Gounod. - nearly right .

BrummieDave
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Re: Otter...or not?

#237728

Postby BrummieDave » July 19th, 2019, 11:06 am

Snorvey wrote:There's an otter that's taken up residence in our local town boating pond and today I thought I had spotted it.

Ok, I had no specs on but from afar it looked like what I thought an otter should look like. Then it surfaced and quacked.

Turns out it was a ducks bottom.

Don't die on us yet Mr Attenborough. I'm not ready to take your place yet.


In June I spent an hour or so watching Sea Otters in the wild, and they are fascinating creatures. They can be difficult to spot because they lie on their backs floating in seaweed. They do this partly so they can expose the pads on their feet and paws to the air and ideally the sunshine to keep them warm, as they are the only parts of their body not covered in thick fur. They also wrap their youngsters in seaweed to help them float, and to keep them warm.

This is all either cute to watch or a fine example of evolution, depending on your point of view.

I was firmly in the cute camp! :D

scotia
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Re: Otter...or not?

#237852

Postby scotia » July 19th, 2019, 5:50 pm

BrummieDave wrote:This is all either cute to watch or a fine example of evolution, depending on your point of view.

Our European Otters are also cute - and I suppose that's why we spend long evenings surrounded by midges watching them (the same goes for European Beavers). But last year on a sea loch in Mull we saw another side to their cuteness. We were watching one otter swimming towards us when we noticed one swimming from the opposite direction - and when they met , a boundary war commenced. They seemed oblivious to our presence, but they finally gave up the affray, with both sides retreating. I guess the boundary was now established.

dionaeamuscipula
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Re: Otter...or not?

#237990

Postby dionaeamuscipula » July 20th, 2019, 11:58 am

Snorvey wrote:There's an otter that's taken up residence in our local town boating pond and today I thought I had spotted it.

Ok, I had no specs on but from afar it looked like what I thought an otter should look like. Then it surfaced and quacked.

Turns out it was a ducks bottom..


Notter

Gengulphus
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Re: Otter...or not?

#238025

Postby Gengulphus » July 20th, 2019, 1:51 pm

Hmm...

I've even known a knotter knot,
but never known an otter ot.

Now I just need the first four lines of that verse!

Gengulphus

AleisterCrowley
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Re: Otter...or not?

#238027

Postby AleisterCrowley » July 20th, 2019, 2:01 pm

viewtopic.php?p=235289#p235289
Not the verse upthread then ?^^^^

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Re: Otter...or not?

#238041

Postby PinkDalek » July 20th, 2019, 2:55 pm

I think you've confused us
with someone that builds a dam

You otter be ashamed of yourself

Other variations are available.

AleisterCrowley
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Re: Otter...or not?

#238049

Postby AleisterCrowley » July 20th, 2019, 3:18 pm

I've seen a leaver leaving, but never a beaver beaving

swill453
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Re: Otter...or not?

#238092

Postby swill453 » July 20th, 2019, 6:15 pm

AleisterCrowley wrote:I've seen a leaver leaving

Not yet you haven't :-)

Scott.

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Re: Otter...or not?

#238130

Postby gryffron » July 20th, 2019, 11:12 pm

If the leaver left, then did an otter oft?

;)


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