Otters Back for Spring

Happy Spring 2017. After a dry winter, normal for this part of Florida, we look forward to spring. Perhaps because so many wet areas dry out during the winter, we notice the otters at Brooker Creek Preserve more this time of year. They come to the deeper water areas which still hold water to swim and fish, and fortunately the main channel of the creek near the bridge attracts them nearly every year.

We first noticed their return to this area on a native plant hike, but only caught a glimpse at that time. A week afterwards, we led a photography hike, and while we witnessed signs of them swimming, no one came to the surface. We continued the hike, and a few minutes later one of our fellow hike guides caught up with us to say that the otters started swimming, fishing, and generally showing themselves. We quickly went back to the bridge, and several people did get photographs, though they moved so quickly and took cover so fast a good photo required good luck, just the right click, or positioning yourself at the bridge for a long period of time. While the latter option appealed to us, we needed to continue the hike so started again after the otters swam from view.

I managed to get an OK shot of one of the otters peaking from a den fashioned at the edge of the creek beneath the root system of a live oak. We watched the otter swim, capture a fish, take it to the den, and then exit to eat the fish. He or she paid us no mind as they enjoyed their meal, in a shaded area and behind some brush. Karl used his 70 – 200 mm lens to capture a shot of the wet otter ignoring us while eating.

If you decide to try for some photographs of your own, arrive early. The gates open at 7 a.m. After enjoying the otter show, walk further to the Bird Trail and follow that to the bird blind. A pair of eagles built a nest in the left hand power tower to the south, and an eaglet has been seen. A long lens is needed for that photograph. If you can’t get the photo, at least watch the show with some binoculars.