We had visitors over the long Thanksgiving weekend.
They weren't very sociable though.
They kept to themselves a lot.
And were a bit stand-offish at times.
They had a little tussle right in front of us.
A handsome family, though.
It was hard to pick a favorite portrait.
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River otter, Lontra canadensis or Lutra canadensis.
These are such cute pictures! I think they can be invited to my Thanksgiving, every thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteNow that's the kind of holiday company I can put up with anytime. Great pics.
ReplyDeleteW O W !!
ReplyDeleteWe have European Otters around (Lutra lutra) but they are so secretive we hardly ever get to see them. Taking pictures??
Ha!
Impossible!
Great pics there, truly great!!
But like most holiday guests, I suppose you'll be glad to see them leave, correct? I suppose they will once they eat all of the fish in your lake.
ReplyDeleteamazing shots you captured!
ReplyDeleteThat is so cool! I love otters, though I've never seen one in the wild. I get excited about the raccoons and opposums we get.
ReplyDeleteIt must be wonderful to see otters in person, Rurality! I've only seen them at Aquariums and zoos, and once told my husband that if one had to be reincarnated as an animal, the otters looked like they were having the most fun.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Thanks y'all. These otters were not nearly as skittish as the ones I surprised in the pond before (a few years ago). I couldn't believe it when they actually got out of the water when we were in the vicinity... even though they don't see very well, they definitely knew we were there by that time. And the new camera definitely got better pics than the old one would have.
ReplyDeleteThey didn't ask for any turkey, but yes they were eating fish... of course they might as well if the drought continues. One good thing about the otters and the herons too -- we had no worries about stinky dead fish in the ponds that dried up!
What a delight! I didn't know if we still had wild river otters.
ReplyDeleteYou mention a new camera - my current one is dying and a new one's in the picture. (Hey, did I just make a pun?) Advice? I'm thinking of moving up from 3.3 megapixel, 4x zoom to maybe 8 megapixel and a better zoom - if I find I can afford that.
Emmett and Ma Otter!
ReplyDeleteCUTE! I haven't seen any otters here below the dam. I didn't even know our river HAD otters! I'll be on the lookout from now on. Thanks. :o)
ReplyDeleteHoly cannoli, man! You are SO LUCKY!! I can't even imagine being able to see otters in real life!
ReplyDeleteAmazing photos, just wonderful. They have me grinning here at my desk. Just so, so cute.
Thank you!
Aaaaaaaawwwwww!!! Those are cute!
ReplyDeleteGreat pics!
ReplyDeleteI saw a couple of river otters run across our parking lot one time. The stray cats around our place were like..."Okay, what the hell are those things?"
Those cute little fellows can deplete a pond of fish in record time. Several in our area have been victims of the ravenous visitors.
ReplyDeleteThese guys are one of my favorite animals! Love them!
ReplyDeleteNice shots!
The one on the far left in the first image looks like my uncle...really! I was lucky enough to see a group up here, but just once. I was thrilled, having only seen them on TV. Great pics!
ReplyDeleteOtterly fantastic photos!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure they appreciated the low water as they systematically wiped out your catfish population.
So cute.
So efficient.
what cuties!
ReplyDeleteHmm I could have sworn I put another comment in here answering Lin's question, but it seems to have disappeared... Sorry about that!
ReplyDeleteLin, I got a Nikon D200 after we had an unexpectedly nice tax refund! (Hey, free money, right?! LOL.) I really love it.
The fish population had been pretty much wiped out already so it doesn't hurt to have them back now.
The plan is to eventually have fencing around the ponds, and put goats inside to mow the grass. But that is going to be a while down the road I think.