Otters: Return to the River

This book is a celebration of the return of the otter to our rivers and freshwater wetlands after a drastic decline in the last century. For more than two decades, award-winning photographer Laurie Campbell has documented these lithe, elusive predators on the River Tweed and its tributaries near his Berwickshire home. The resulting photographs create an intimate portrait of their lives through the changing seasons, including their riverside habitat and the other wildlife that shares it. Writer Anna Levin sets this work in the context of Laurie’s own life’s story as she accompanies him to the riverbank. Her notebooks offer a vivid glimpse of the photographer at work and of the otters that enchant them both. This beautiful book is lavishly illustrated throughout, divided into seasonal chapters and charts Laurie’s personal quest to capture these endearing creatures in their natural habitat. It also offers an insight into Laurie’s philosophy – to look closer to home, rather than further away to connect with our own natural environment.

Reviews of Otters: Return to the River

'Stunning … a unique insight into these elusive animals' – BBC Wildlife Magazine 'Laurie Campbell's colour photographs are magical, capturing the innocence, beauty, and astonishing dexterity of these natural inhabitants of the River Tweed' – Scotland Magazine 'Captivating … a beautiful insight into behaviour that the rest of us would barely glimpse' – BBC Countryfile