This is so cool! Thank you for this. I totally get when you say, "At one moment the world felt dark in icy shades of taupe and gray. In the next, the world was a river otter." We have a few in our little county lake and at a distance I think they are amazing. Up close I am a tiny bit terrified of them! They are basically one huge muscle with big teeth and they will hop right up on the dock.
What a lovely newsletter! I live downtown on the southern tip of Vancouver Island and for a while there was a river otter than would come up from the Upper Harbour. He (or she?) could be spotted on the sidewalk outside of the art supply store. It was thrilling.
In non-Covid times, I commute to the State Department by bicycle through Rock Creek Park here in D.C. The trail runs along Rock Creek down to where the Creek feeds into the Potomac. I seem to spot more wildlife in the winter (probably when the trees are bare and it's easier to see through them). There are often Great Blue Herons standing on a rock in middle of the creek and foxes and deer scampering across the path. One early morning, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted something swimming upstream. I skidded to a stop to turn around and follow it. It was clearly a mammal with a head bobbing up and down and the rest of the body hidden by the water. Having recently watched a river otter at the zoo, I was certain I had just spotted this rare creature! However, when I later looked it up, there are only unconfirmed sightings of river otters in the Creek. I likely confused it with a beaver.
This is so cool! Thank you for this. I totally get when you say, "At one moment the world felt dark in icy shades of taupe and gray. In the next, the world was a river otter." We have a few in our little county lake and at a distance I think they are amazing. Up close I am a tiny bit terrified of them! They are basically one huge muscle with big teeth and they will hop right up on the dock.
What a lovely newsletter! I live downtown on the southern tip of Vancouver Island and for a while there was a river otter than would come up from the Upper Harbour. He (or she?) could be spotted on the sidewalk outside of the art supply store. It was thrilling.
My friend recently moved close to the Hudson Valley in NY and just discovered a family of river otters living in their pond! They've been a delight to see --> https://www.instagram.com/p/CJTlIVds_HU/ https://www.instagram.com/p/CIinGW3llZ0/
In non-Covid times, I commute to the State Department by bicycle through Rock Creek Park here in D.C. The trail runs along Rock Creek down to where the Creek feeds into the Potomac. I seem to spot more wildlife in the winter (probably when the trees are bare and it's easier to see through them). There are often Great Blue Herons standing on a rock in middle of the creek and foxes and deer scampering across the path. One early morning, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted something swimming upstream. I skidded to a stop to turn around and follow it. It was clearly a mammal with a head bobbing up and down and the rest of the body hidden by the water. Having recently watched a river otter at the zoo, I was certain I had just spotted this rare creature! However, when I later looked it up, there are only unconfirmed sightings of river otters in the Creek. I likely confused it with a beaver.