March 30, 2018
Salish Sea, Pacific Northwest
I was actually watching a crew of ducks grooming and dozing, while I stood on the bluff above this bay. Mellow mood. Then I heard splashing. Turned around and saw an otter climbing up onto the Rock.
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I call this Otter Rock since it is used frequently by the local River Otters to eat their prey in safety and convenience. Most tides it’s surrounded by water, and the flat high surface is perfect for eating in peace while keeping an eye out for any unwelcome visitors. Sometimes they’ll use the lower shelf if the tide isn’t too high. I took a series of photos of an otter dismembering and consuming a huge sculpin once and posted the incident in an earlier Bucket (www.dailykos.com/...). You can see the remains of a crab on the shelf this day.
I had a little bit of battery left in my camera so I ran the video of this otter eating a crab. Judging from its size, it’s an adult Dungeness crab (very yummy to human peeps too! cooked).
The video shows several interesting kinds of activity, even besides eating.
Otter’s watching all around: the ducks over the the left, me up on the bluff 100 feet away, and somebody further out in the bay I couldn’t see. Otters are mostly loners, except for mating season and females with otterlings in summer and fall.
Otter takes time to groom, to push air into fur (helps insulate against cold), and to reinforce ownership of the Rock, rubbing scent onto it. I suspect there’s a symphony of scent on this rock, so popular over many years. After a few minutes Otter abandoned the partially eaten crab and climbed back down into the water, swimming out into the bay.
About a minute later, a Glaucous-winged gull swooped in to check out the remains.
This 30 second video shows how the gull made sure no crab would be wasted. It was very skittish, almost like it expected a trap. Even scavengers need to pay attention for possible danger.
I was very happy to see the otter. I’d just been reflecting how it seemed like a long time since I’d crossed paths with an otter or a seal. A lucky moment!
Signs of spring or other nature observations from your place?
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This morning we’re getting some showers, with an onshore flow, after a sunny day yesterday. Looks light though. Forecast is for a front coming in tonight though, with substantial rainfall.