A great start to the new year. Well, I don’t know what the rest of 2021 holds for my photographic endeavors but it sure started off in fine fashion!
New Year’s Day I was photographing a great blue heron on an icy creek when I noticed movement about 10 yards behind it. Much to my surprise, there were two river otters! The light was horrible as the sun had not risen entirely and it was a long shot so those pictures didn’t really come out.
The next day I returned, hoping for another chance at these elusive creatures and, thankfully, one made an appearance. It was initially in the shadows making it hard to get a good shot but then it emerged on the opposite side of a nearby pond in full light.
It was a long ways away limiting the quality of pictures but I was absolutely ecstatic to see and photograph a river otter, a first for me and something few ever see.
River otters were once entirely extinguished from Colorado due to the fur trade and waterway pollution. Colorado Parks & Wildlife began reintroducing them in the 1970s and while it has been a very successful program and they are not considered endangered, they are still considered a threatened species.
