[Tweeters] Regarding river otter predation

[HAL MICHAEL]

Years ago, there was video that was taken from a Lake Union houseboat. It was of a local semi-domestic Mallard swimming around the boat.  It disappeared in a huge swirl.  Looking closely at the video we thought we could make out an otter tail. 
 
Hal Michael
Board of Directors, Ecologists Without Borders http://ecowb.org/
Olympia WA
360-459-4005
360-791-7702 (C)
ucd880 at comcast.net
 
 


> On 01/02/2024 2:17 PM PST Peter Wimberger <phwimberger at pugetsound.edu> wrote:

>  

>  

> The past several years at Big Twin Lake, Okanogan County (by Winthrop) there has been a mini-wildlife spectacle where, at dusk, hundreds of ducks fly into a small patch of open water kept open by a bubbler. Often one could see (and hear) 8-10 duck species in the aqueous mosh pit (mostly both species of goldeneyes, but also buffleheads, common and hooded mergansers, teal, mallards, scaup, wigeon, sometimes swans or geese), some arriving after dark. The ducks would depart by first light, presumably to avoid the ever present Bald Eagles. (BTW - the spectacle was discovered during a CBC). This year the massive numbers of ducks didn't show up. A few ducks would land at dusk and then quickly take off. Flocks of goldeneyes and mergansers would circle a few times and then fly elsewhere. We initially wondered if it was because it has been warmer and there was more open water around. We also noted at least one river otter regularly cruising around or lolling on a dock but didn't connect the dots. At the Twisp CBC potluck I mentioned this year's lack of ducks and also mentioned that the folks who came to see the ducks, got to see the otter as consolation. One of the many amazing naturalists who participate in the Twisp CBC mentioned that river otters can wreak havoc on waterfowl and showed me multiple photos of otters carrying scoters and other ducks. The next morning they watched a Hooded Merganser narrowly escape the otter. It's a cool example of the impact one or two predator individuals can have on the behavior of hundreds of individuals (likely the majority of the ducks overwintering in the upper Methow Valley).

>  

> I want to add that I appreciated the folks who posted their CBC reports on Tweeters (another nice use of Tweeters).  I'll post the Twisp CBC report soon.

>  

> Peter Wimberger

> Tacoma, WA

>  

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