The Daily Bucket is a regular feature of the Backyard Science group. It is a place to note any observations you have made of the world around you. Rain, sun, wind...insects, birds, flowers...meteorites, rocks...seasonal changes...all are worthy additions to the bucket. Please let us know what is going on around you in a comment. Include, as close as is comfortable for you, where you are located. Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the patterns that are quietly unwinding around us.
May 26, 2015
Salish Sea, PNW
Kayaking back to shore, the River Otter surfaced 20 feet away, busy with a fish, didn't see me. Kayaks are pretty quiet and the visibility in the bay is nil right now (with a plankton bloom). That long flat greenish fish is a Gunnel, one of their three favorite species of fish, and one they can eat while swimming. Otters love crabs too, and shells pile up in popular dining spots where they have to eat them on shore (big fish like flounder eaten on shore leave no remains).
(All photos by me. In Lightbox...click to enlarge)
That's a full-grown Gunnel, quite a mouthful for a river otter. But Otter's an expert in maneuvering the slippery fish down the hatch.
Otter finally notices me watching him/her. Pops head up high enough to get a good look, fish clasped securely in sharp teeth.
Evidently decides I'm not a threat, continues to swallow fish. I get a pretty good look at its teeth...can see this is not the Old Man Otter who's been hanging out in this bay for the last couple of years. That otter is missing his lower right canine.
Once the fish has been slurped down, Otter dives and swims away, surfacing further out in the bay. Last I saw, still fishing.
Don't know where the old otter is or who this one may be. Otters do tend to wander a regular route, reappearing in a given spot every once in a while. But only sometimes do I get so close or have a chance to see their teeth! I'll keep an eye out.
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Time for your nature observations. What have you been seeing or hearing in your part of the world?
"Spotlight on Green News & Views" is posted every Saturday at 1:00 pm Pacific Time and Wednesday at 3:30 on the Daily Kos front page. It's a great way to catch up on diaries you might have missed. Be sure to recommend and comment in the diary.