ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS: RARE AND MAGIC MOMENTS
Every once in a while something truly unexpected happens. Yesterday, I had a sensational wildlife encounter with an animal I've only ever seen once before in the wild and it absolutely blew my socks off!
Photo Credit: (c) T J Allen Art
The Calling
At first light, I rose from my bed and stood by the window, peering under the semi-drawn blind. I was surprised to be greeted by the whispering beginnings of a gorgeous sunrise.
The match was lit.
The glowing embers in the sky, laced their seductive veil over me, pulling at my instinctual core and drawing me out to come and play. There was something about the atmosphere, something in the wash of colours, in the sweeping and delicately fractured clouds that told me I had to be a part of it.
The Knowing
Hastily getting dressed, my feet felt guided as to where to go. I knew I had to go to ‘my bridge’; a special place where I’ve recently felt a great degree of peace and connection. With flat wooden planks and no sides, the simple, rustic structure sits two metres above the meandering river, steady in its flow due to the slightly imposing growth of reeds and foliage that swell outwards from the banks. The bridge felt like a metaphor this morning, it signified a place of balance, a fulcrum between worlds, between earth and sky, life and universe. With the flow of water beneath me it presented an oxymoron; energetic yet serene.
The Connection
The lighting was beautiful. The birds were singing and calling. Insects were buzzing. I did a few yoga poses and stretches before settling down to sit and begin my reiki practice. It was wonderful doing it for the first time in a completely natural, rural space with no human influence or building in eyesight. The sun’s rays were beaming on my closed eyelids, the gentle breeze kissing the bare skin on my arms. The chorus of nature provided the backdrop of calm . . .
. . .and then I heard the slight swish of water and an occasional rustling in the reeds in the river further behind me. It was the rhythmic repetition that prompted me to turn around. The tops of the reeds were wiggling as a tell-tale location pinpoint and my instinct knew it definitely was not the behaviour of a waterfowl.
At this point the movement was about 15 metres away. I prayed that the creator would reveal itself and come closer and I was not disappointed.
Wow! Wow! Wow!
I got a little glimpse of a tail sliding into the depths before seeing a trail of air bubbles dancing towards me on the murky surface. And then I got a proper sighting. Sleek but solid. A thick tail of pure muscle. A face full of character with lines like a weather-beaten fisherman.
A beautiful, wild otter.
Before I knew it, I was on my hands and knees peering down over the side of the bridge, observing with intense curiosity and awe. After all, this was only the second wild otter I have ever witnessed and the first had only been a very brief sighting.
Moments of Magic
Suddenly, at two metres away, his actions were halted as he caught sight of me on my elevated viewpoint. In his surprise, he let out a sharp puff of air, blinking at me with beady eyes before ducking under water. He circled around and resurfaced to take another longer, slow look at me. His head raised up, bobbing above the river level and peering over his nose, his eyes deeply and intensely connected with mine. He was definitely trying to figure out what I was!
His fur sat in sleek, wet streaks. His face framed by strong white whiskers above a bib of white on his chest. His eyes were blinking in a slightly confused fashion. His little nostrils flared as they took in air. He gave off a very slight hint of nervousness interlaced with curiosity, nevertheless, he was certainly perplexed!
With slippery acrobatic agility, he dipped down and moved to the reeds at the side as if to re-check my presence from a place of safety to ensure I wasn’t a threat. A wiggling line of bubbles appeared on the opaque water surface showing him moving away before resurfacing once again to look at me. With a new addition of soggy weed trailing from his mouth, his nonchalant expression held my gaze for a few further seconds.
The Ripple Effect
Having not moved from my hands and knees position, other than to slightly lower my body so that it was less imposing, I felt as though my steady energy was key to the encounter. It was clear that he began to understand that I posed no threat and that allowed him to continue on without any sign of inhibition.
He snaked the river surface in arches, sliding up and diving back down in rainbow arcs before swimming under the bridge and continuing upstream. The popping bubbles at the surface allowed me to distinguish his interweaving journey between the clumps of reeds up towards the next corner before he slipped out of sight.
Needless to say, as I resumed my reiki session, my concentration was distracted by a noisy cacophony of thoughts.
Reflection
Part of me is gutted that I didn’t have my phone or camera with me to capture what I saw, but another part of me knows that the strength of the encounter wouldn’t have been anywhere near the same if I had. With a distracted focus on a screen, I would never have been able to experience the same deep, connected eye contact or take in all the intricate details.
I am left feeling incredibly privileged and grateful beyond words.
Mother Nature, you’ve done it again. I am in awe!