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Title :

Otter country : an unexpected adventure in the natural world / Miriam Darlington.

Title:

Otter country :

Author:

Darlington, Miriam

Format:

Books

Physical Description:

294 pages ; 23 cm

Edition:

First US edition.

ISBN:

9781959030348

Production / Publication Information:

Portland, Oregon : Tin House, 2024.

Summary:

"Mysterious, graceful, and ever-clever, otters have captivated our imaginations despite the fact that few people have encountered one in the wild. In Otter Country, celebrated nature writer Miriam Darlington captures the fascination she's had for these playful animals since childhood and chronicles her immersive journey into their watery world. Over the course of a single year, Darlington takes readers on a winding expedition in pursuit of these elusive creatures-from her home in Devon, England, through the wilds of Scotland, Wales, the Lake District, and the countryside of Cornwall. As she's drawn deeper into wilder habitats, trekking through changing landscapes, seasons, and weather, Darlington meets biologists, conservationists, fishing and hunting enthusiasts, and poets-enriching her understanding, admiration, and awe of the wild otter. With each encounter, she reveals the scientific, environmental, and cultural importance of this creature and the places it calls home. Full of wonder, hope, and an abiding love for the natural world, Otter Country: An Unexpected Adventure in the Natural World is a beautiful and captivating work of nature writing, pursuing one of nature's most endearing and endlessly fascinating creatures"--

Bibliography note:

Includes bibliographical references.

Language:

English

Genre:

Informational works.

Subject Term:

Otters -- Great Britain.

Otters -- Ecology -- Great Britain.

Riparian ecology -- Great Britain.

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Material Type	Library	Call Number	Item Barcode	Location
Book	Searching... Andover - Memorial Hall Library	599.769 DAR	31330009467881	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Amesbury Public Library	599.769 DAR	32114002822014	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Burlington Public Library	599.769 DAR	32116004037830	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Chelmsford MacKay Branch	599.769/DARL	31480011773303	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Chelmsford Public Library	599.769/DARL	31480011773311	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Dracut - Moses Greeley Parker Memorial Library	599.769/DAR	31482003142208	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Essex - T.O.H.P. Burnham Free Library	599.76 DAR	32119000473355	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Hamilton-Wenham Public Library	599.769 DAR	30470002174026	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Haverhill Public Library	599.769/DARLINGTON M	31479007681652	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Ipswich Public Library	599.769 DARLINGTON	32122003077652	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Littleton - Reuben Hoar Library	NEW! 599.769 DAR	39965002483252	Searching... Unknown
New books	Searching... Lowell - Pollard Memorial Library	599.769 DAR	31481005751875	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Methuen - Nevins Memorial Library	599.769 DAR	31548003528206	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Middleton - Flint Public Library	599.769 DARLINGTON	32126001976161	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Newbury Town Library	599.769 DAR	32127001402075	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... North Andover - Stevens Memorial Library	599.769 DARLINGTON	31478010253558	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Rockport Public Library	599.769 DARLINGTON	32129002699444	Searching... Unknown
New books	Searching... Salisbury Public Library	599.769 DAR	32131001011902	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Topsfield Town Library	599.76 DARLINGTON	32133002731959	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Tyngsborough Public Library	599.769/DARLI	32137002234922	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Westford - J.V. Fletcher Library	599.769 DAR	31990005207829	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

"Beguiling. The gentle and persistent search by Darlington sparkles." -- The Guardian

A plan formed in my mind. I would explore the places in this land that hid my grail. I would spend a whole year or longer, if that's what it took, wading through marshes, hiding between mossy rocks, paddling down rivers and swimming in sea lochs; recording my journey through the seasons as I searched for wild otters.

Mysterious, graceful, and ever-clever, otters have captivated our imaginations, despite the fact that few people have encountered one in the wild. In Otter Country , celebrated nature writer Miriam Darlington captures the fascination she's had for these playful animals since childhood, and chronicles her immersive journey into their watery world.

Over the course of a single year, Darlington takes readers on a winding expedition in pursuit of these elusive creatures--from her home in Devon, England, and through the wilds of Scotland, Wales, the Lake District, and the countryside of Cornwall. As she's drawn deeper into wilder habitats, trekking through changing landscapes, seasons, and weather, Darlington meets biologists, conservationists, fishing and hunting enthusiasts, and poets--enriching her understanding, admiration, and awe of the wild otter. With each encounter, she reveals the scientific, environmental, and cultural importance of this creature and the places it calls home.

Full of wonder, hope, and an abiding love for the natural world, Otter Country: An Unexpected Adventure in the Natural World is a beautiful and captivating work of nature writing, pursuing one of nature's most endearing and endlessly fascinating creatures.

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Darlington (The Wise Hours) burnishes her reputation as a gifted nature writer with this vivid examination of the behavior, biology, and evolution of otters. She notes that the aquatic animals were "one of the earliest mammalian carnivores," appearing 30 million years ago as members of the mustelid family, which includes weasels and badgers. Over time, members of the mustelid family diversified to pursue different kinds of prey (pine martens evolved to hunt rodents in trees while otters developed to prowl waterways). Pushing back against otters' reputation for being "cuddly and playful," Darlington explains that males bite females so hard during copulation they leave permanent scars and often kidnap pups "from their mothers and expect her to hand over her catch of shellfish before the stolen pup is returned." Though Darlington's travels around Britain looking for otters in the wild proved unsuccessful, the sparkling prose ensures her account of the search never flags: "Without the dazzle of a torch, the moon is all quivering reflections. I stare over a bridge at the flicker beneath." Darlington also provides disquieting discussions of how European settlers in America's Pacific Northwest nearly hunted otters to extinction, and how oil spills and overfishing continue to threaten the animals' ability to survive in the wild. The result is an entrancing look at a complex animal. Agent: Clare Conville, C&W Agency. (Feb.)

Kirkus Review

A celebration of a wily mammal. Nature writer Darlington, author of The Wise Hours, has been enchanted with otters since childhood, and she recounts her travels across England, Scotland, and Wales in search of the elusive creature. She devoted a year to plodding across moors, wading through marshes, walking along peat bogs, traversing rivers, and swimming in the sea, and she records her journey in precise, poetic prose. She read widely, met others obsessed with otters, and visited nature sanctuaries. Early in her exploration, she spotted one: "Just over a metre in length, he has the dimensions of a male or dog otter, with a broad, flat head, large back feet and a long, tapering tail. It's the magnificent ruff of whiskers that surprises me, and the bulk of him, the fur sleek from fishing out in the loch." Although otters have few natural predators, they live "on a knife-edge," needing "to be resilient and versatile enough to cope with sudden fluctuations in food sources, pollution incidents and other environmental changes such as floods and the encroachments of human activity." Those challenges have not kept them from returning to territories where they have long thrived, but they have proven perilous when otters have been run over when crossing roads. Darlington became an expert at tracking otters by following their droppings, and she teaches us about their evolution, behavior, and life cycle. She evokes in sensuous detail the flora and fauna (including a threatening wild boar and swarming midges) that she encountered along the way, as well as the detritus of modern life: discarded diapers, plastic water bottles, fast-food packaging, and more. Her immersive year proved revelatory: Rainer Maria Rilke, she observes, put it aptly: "There is no part of the world that is not looking at you. You must change your life." Darlington delivers another delightfully lyrical nature chronicle. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

Darlington has a problem with otters. She's obsessed with the critters. She sets out on an "otter odyssey" that has her traipsing through all kinds of landscapes in Great Britain over the course of about a year to find these creatures in the wild. Darlington tracks them primarily by their paw prints and droppings. She seems to spend considerable time examining their spraint (dung), which she notes "smell[s] like perfume," akin to lavender and jasmine tea. Throughout her quest, she interacts with and learns from other otter aficionados. In tracking wild otters, the plucky author-adventurer encounters challenges along the way, including an encounter with a wild boar. Her reverence for the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) leads her to elevate the animal to an almost mythic status. Darlington views otters as playful predators, nomadic and secretive. Nocturnal stealth is this carnivore's super power. Otters might sleep about 12 hours a day, but their activities support the health of watery ecosystems. An at times peculiar though wholly affectionate, informative, and bubbly work of nature writing.

Spirit Level	1
True North	11
Watershed	55
Marsh	95
Source	131
Stream	171
Hunting Ground	201
East	233
Holt	259
Acknowledgements	285
Permissions	289
Bibliography and Further Reading	291

Available:*

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Summary

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Kirkus Review

Booklist Review

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