Photo gallery: Stunning otter pics from HCT’s Cold Brook Preserve
Life can get pretty busy when you’re a celebrity otter. There are scripts to read (“Jurassic Otter,” “12 Angry Otters,” “Pride, Prejudice and Otters,”), and numerous public appearances at sushi restaurants and swimming competitions.
An otter enjoys a fishy snack at Harwich Conservation Trust’s (HCT) Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve in February 2026. Photo by Gerry Beetham
OK, otter life isn’t quite that crazy. But it’s always a big deal when otters are seen at Harwich Conservation Trust’s (HCT) Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve.
Luckily, HCT’s ace volunteer photographer Gerry Beetham has an amazing knack for locating the playful mammals and capturing stunning images. He was out at Cold Brook recently and brought back a camera-full of pics that you “otter” love!
A place for otters
Otters have found room to roam, feed and cavort at Cold Brook since an ambitious HCT eco-restoration project transformed a retired cranberry bog into a wildlife oasis. The effort included rewilding a mile of stream, native plantings, and the creation of four ponds and a half-mile All Persons Trail that allows people of all ages and abilities to enjoy nature.
Cold Brook is now flowing freely through the 66-acre Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve for the first time in over a century. Starting in spring fed Grassy Pond, the stream travels under Bank Street through the Preserve and ultimately to Saquatucket Harbor on Nantucket Sound.
The flowing waterway and the ponds are perfect habitat for otters. And the otter buzz has been growing ever since the restoration project was completed!
Otters at the Cold Brook Preserve graced the summer 2025 cover of Harwich Magazine. Photo courtesy Harwich Chamber of Commerce
Paparazzi on alert
Last year, the otter paparazzi caught up with the furry celebrities at Cold Brook, and a stellar snapshot of the fish-eating favorites graced the cover of the 2025 summer edition of Harwich Magazine, a popular publication from the Harwich Chamber of Commerce.
The otter-palooza continued when HCT Trustee Herb Raffaele designed a human-made otter den that was installed by HCT staff and volunteers at the edge of a Cold Brook pond.
The den is equipped with two cameras, and a variety pack of animals have been seen checking out the digs, including an otter, and astoundingly, a Cooper’s hawk! Hopes are high that an otter will soon move in and raise pups.
But while we wait for that momentous occasion (and the sure-to-be viral videos), it’s good to know that if you get lucky, you might spy an otter during a nature walk at the Cold Brook Preserve.
And if that seems a bit much with all the snow, well it’s also good to know that HCT’s Gerry Beetham will be out there with his camera, capturing images like the ones you see below. Enjoy the gallery!
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