Somewhere in and around Ånderdalen National Park on the Island of Senja, in the North of Norway, March 2024.

It was supposed to be a whole-day-out in the Arctic wilderness and I was expecting it to be a field day with Reindeer, Arctic Foxes, and who know’s, maybe Polar Bears and Puffins. However, all we had managed so far were strange looking cones and shrubs during a two hour hike in knee deep snow.

It was after a few more hours of driving around the island that I finally spotted the day’s first non-plant based wildlife, some cormorants fishing away at a distance, so I stepped out to get some shots.

Everything else was very still and spooky, the hills, the snow, the shrubbery, the water.

Except, there was a strange V-shape that suddenly formed on the creek’s surface, and it was moving at extraordinary speeds. My first thought was, that either this was a colossal cod on coke, or a perhaps a baby Jörmungandr.

A quick inspection of a shot at full optical zoom (300mm) revealed that the wake had a slender, streamlined body, and also ears and whiskers. It was an otter! And then it started heading in my direction.

She came out from the foliage towards the shoreline, very close to me, and was carrying in her mouth a luxurious supper.

I am certain she very much looking forward to her gourmet crab in peace, but now she had a stalker . . .

CLICK!!

“DAFUQ!?!”

<SPLASH!!>

I found out then what a startled, pissed-off otter who has just lost its food due to paparazzi looks and sounds like.

And I guess this here was a “SCREW YOU!!”

<PLOP!>

I was rather embarrassed to have been reprimanded by this otter to be honest, but it does remain a very special encounter.