AP file photo from Texas Parks and WildlifeArmand Bayou Nature Center's recent Tweet about a river otter sighting in one of its ponds got me all atwitter.
A birdwatcher, hiker and camper, I've seen otters frolicking in the sea and platypuses playing in rivers, but I've never seen a river otter.
So I called the nature center and talked to Mark Kramer, a naturalist who's stewardship coordinator for Armand Bayou. Was the river otter spotted in the much-visited pond between the admissions office and the education center still hanging around?
Alas, no. But I may have a shot at seeing a river otter if I want to canoe down Armand Bayou. The nature center conducts guided canoe trips by reservation on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month.
"There's no guarantee you're going to see one, but the possibility exists," Kramer says. "We see them."
That wasn't so true in the 1970s and 1980s, when otter populations around Galveston Bay were declining dramatically because of hunting and wetlands loss.
They've made something of a comeback since then. Kramer remembers the first ones he saw at the nature center in 1995. There was a family with pups, suggesting otters were perhaps prospering.
Since Armand Bayou is relatively pristine near the nature center and no gas-powered boats are allowed, it's a stretch of bayou that's popular with otters. But they're shy creatures and pretty hard to spot even when they're around.
As Houston Chronicle outdoors writer Shannon Tompkins noted in a very interesting article about Texas' river otters:
Even those who spend a lot of time outdoors rarely catch a glimpse of these sleek, secretive, amazingly animated aquatic members of the weasel family. Some who have spent years afield have never had the pleasure — and it is a pleasure.
What's particularly remarkable about the pond sighting, Kramer said, is that the otter had to trek across have a mile of land to get there. He may have been looking for a mate or perhaps he was a shunned youngster. It's possible that the bayou habitat is reaching its capacity for otters, he said. Or maybe the guy was just curious.
"One of the best things about otters is that they're curious," Kramer said. "They seem to be having fun scouting around."
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Comments
RIVER OTTERS
I HAVE SEEN RIVER OTTERS IN DICKINSON BAYOU,ONE EVEN FOUND DEAD IN A CRAB TRAP.
River Otters
Watched a momma with 3 yearlings play in the stock tank in Waller County late last year. Got some nice pics. It was on my bucket list and I was surprised I never had to leave home to do it.
River Otters
I was completely surprised to see one in Houston County last month. It was playing on a fishing dock in the early morning - rolling around like a wet dog and then running in circles like a squirrel. First sighting in 40 years of regular visits to that lake.
They are everywhere...
I have seen them in Seabrook, over in St Edmonds Green in Dickinson and unfortunately saw one dead on the side of the road in Kemah. I stopped to see what it was cause it looked too big to be a rat.
They are common
There was a big male that got hit on Fairmont,I also see them playing around the retention ponds on the upper end of Armand.They swim up to our duck blinds near Dayton.They are VERY curious.
There a lots in East Texas
If any one wants to see river otters all they have to do is visit the Neches, Trinity or Angelina rivers. I grew up on all three of these rivers and saw them all the time. Just two weeks ago I went fishing on the Trinity just north of Lake Livingston and Riverside and saw 2 in about 4 or 5 hours. People in the Houston area just need go to the country. Duh
I saw one that had been hit by a car and killed in Humble. The
I saw one that had been hit by a car and killed in Humble. The San Jacinto River is fairly close by.
River Otters
Aww, River otters are my favorite animal. I will definitely takes these places into consideration. I love watching them.
River Otter Sighting
This is for you
Nutria Rats
The majority of what people are actually seeing are truthfully nutria.
River otters
River Otters are not scarce. They are not even
protected. A river otter in a stock tank will stay
there until the fish population is depleted then leave it. They are considered furbearing nuisances and there is a government crew who traps them year round. Some folks might think they are fuzzy, warm,
feel good in the tummy critters but when you have to keep paying out dollars to try to have a good fish pond, it gets old.Only Cormorants are more destructive.
seen a few
I have seen a few on the Neches River up around Lufkin. One would have to be pretty lame to mistake a Nutria for an Otter.
Lake Conroe Otters
May 27, 2010
We had 3 otters visit or dock in Seven Coves. They were playing around the port and then 2 got up on the dock for a short time about 4 PM.
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