In addition to the woodland walks, great views and array of visiting birds on the site, customers in The Lookout Café have been regularly entertained by an otter, which took up residence in the lake outside café’s large window.

Otters are no stranger to the reserve and have been spotted from time to time, but this particular one is totally unfazed by humans, making regular appearances all week and building up quite a following amongst visitors who have been returning to the reserve to try to catch another glimpse.

The Drudge Bay reserve is no stranger to charismatic characters. In August 2017, a swimming red squirrel, nicknamed ‘Thorpedo’ after Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe, entertained Lookout Café customers with its swimming backwards and forwards from the shore to the same island. In addition, the resident red squirrels, and sometimes its stoats, can be seen running up and down the trees to retrieve nuts from the special feeders.