Weatherman was a bit off this morning, It was suppose to be overcast with 30% chance of snow showers. With the light snow and little accumulation would make for a good hike on one of the plowed east side  roads  This would make it easy finding and identifying tracks in the snow. I really enjoy hitting the trail at first light.

 

Walking slowly and pausing occasionally did not present any photo ops until I reached the water. About 100yds in front of me, two otters played. It was comical to watch.

 

 

Getting a few distant pics I moved slowly in attempt to close the gap. The otters wanted no part of me watching ,and slipped into the water and were gone. Hoping they would return I hustled and settled in to within about 100ft from where I last saw them. About twenty minutes passed and up comes one head then the second. Both otters scanned and thoroughly looked at the area I was previously standing at. Comfortable that any danger had passed ,the two otters came up out of the hole  ate fish and relaxed, I was wearing winter camo and standing  motionless next to some drift wood .  I went undetected close to an hour. Every once in a while I would push the shutter on the camera. Looking at this next pic would suggest that I had been bagged !

 
I cropped the pic to bring it in closer.  Using a polarized filter certainly would helped in this enviroment
With my hike in no animal tracks had crossed the road. On the hike out around 10:30AM, I crossed six sets of squirrel tracks and two deer.
Jim