I never presume to think that I’ve “seen it all,” no matter how frequently I visit a place. But in truth, once I get a good feel for a place, most surprises are fairly small. Which makes the big ones all the more incredible.

Saturday was cold – 28 degrees cold – at sunrise, when I was out bundled in multiple layers at Fords Pond, camera in hand. My goal was sunrise photos of the surrounding landscape, and I certainly wasn’t disappointed in that regard. But as I walked along the road that edges the pond, I was surprised to see something swimming in the water.

My first thought was that it was a muskrat. Except it looked too big. And then there was a second one. And then a third. I had come across a trio of otters!

For years I have wanted to see otters in the wild, but I’ve never been in an area that was reported to have them. I had no idea that any lived in the pond and I certainly wasn’t expecting to find them that morning – but there they were. I switched very quickly to my telephoto lens and starting taking photos – and although I was shooting into the rising sun, I still managed to get a couple of good frames.

This was an experience that reinforces two of my primary rules for being outdoors: first, always pay attention to your surroundings, since you never know what you’ll find that you didn’t expect; second, always venture out prepared. For me, that meant bringing the telephoto lens even though I didn’t expect to need it. Boy am I glad I did!

Now that I know the otters are there, I’ll be spending many more early mornings at the pond, hoping for another sighting!