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PER MARE PER TERRAM

Chant du monde boréal
Shoormal.
Sandshifter, 60N.
Where it all makes sense.


CHRONICLES FROM ARCANIA

Preamble

Through Chronicles from Arcania, I shall attempt to share walks with you, this poetics from 60N, where I feel at one with our Earth, my sense of place so maritime.


Sunday, 14 March 2010

Walking the shore with an otter

I could not hope for a more perfect end to this winter's last weekend.

...No, I am not referring to the 6 Nations' encounter between France and Italy in rugby... Life is far more precious than this! Woooppppsss, désolée les Bleus!  For this once, I favoured my walking boots to a mêlée and take full advantage of my shore. 

No regret. 
Spring migration is en route, waders & wildfowl move about... I heard rain goose (red-throated diver) around Nesting (N/NE of Lerwick) and delighted my heart with notably shalders (oystercatchers), sandy loos (ringed plovers) - waap (curlews) and corbies (ravens) flying overhead. 

Six days away from that long awaited equinox, this nordic part of the world is awaking from a long and enduring winter... If the land still looks fast asleep, if the north wind still bites the very tip of our fingers, flight calls and wings slash through the sky. Earth magic never stops.
And there, as eyes wander along the kelp at the very edge of the shore, we meet at last. The light is poor.
It's just gone 5 p.m., the tide has ebbed and has unveiled the very edge of kelp forest... Among dark rocks it comes to feed... I think it caught a crab for its dinner. I must keep low and creep closer - crawl to the edge of that low cliff. My eyes endure might of north wind... 
My heart is pouncing. Such encounter tastes like a priviledge! My otter friend is racing back towards the sea. 
There, there, right in the middle of my lens... And it turns round to check me out!

What better way to end up this winter's final weekend?
I cannot wait to see more again this summer!


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8 comments:

  1. Crafty Green Poet14 March 2010 at 20:53

    oh how wonderful, otters are such delightful creatures and how lovely to have such an encounter with one!

    I love all the Shetlandic names for the birds too,

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  2. Nat Hall14 March 2010 at 22:03

    Thank you kindly, Juliet :)
    yes, "dratsies", or otters (as they are known in the dialect) are wonderful creatures and encountering one is a priviledge enough...
    Shetland has many treasures and otters are one of them.
    Shetland bird names - yes, another delight ;) and should you ever make it to 60N, I shall tell you about wild flowers' local names as well! It's magical. :))

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  3. Aine MacAodha 15 March 2010 at 01:00

    Great capture Nat! We call them the water dog or more poetically the hound of the flowing water, difficult to get on camera.

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  4. Nat Hall15 March 2010 at 02:11

    I love your poetical alternative, Aine :)))
    They are damn hard to capture through the lens, that's for sure! Thank you for drop[ping in, my friend. I trust all is well with you :)
    Blissins fae 60N xx

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  5. Shani16 March 2010 at 12:41

    perfic....

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  6. RC Nicdao16 March 2010 at 16:48

    I'm very much impressed...
    Your created images contain pure and authentic poetry...
    Poetry which has the power to enliven certain obscure angles of this world.

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  7. Nat Hall16 March 2010 at 21:13

    Thank, Shani :))

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  8. Nat Hall16 March 2010 at 21:15

    Thank you very much, Raquel :).
    The most earthly images, the closest to our world, the more connected we bacome :)

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