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Otters in port D


Limey

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I've seen plenty of otters upnorth but saw my first one on this side of the 401 on a lake Ontario trib last year. They're definitely down here. Just not as many as upnorth.

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Great sighting, LImey.  You're lucky  to have spotted our elusive river otter.  

I guess they're not as loved in you homeland, eh?  I read a lot of English carp publications and have come to understand they're more than just a nuisance as they can really cripple a good carp lake. 

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Exactly Mike, they seem to be like a fox in a coop by killing a fish for a few bites then taking another but they're protected I believe so people are up in arms about it.

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Besides eating fish , they have a wide diet  of other creatures , and they also have predators that will eat them .  But like anything else , like beavers and cormorants , we humans sometimes have to intervene to manage their numbers .  Ma Nature can no longer compete with human expansion .....

here's a short clip from the www.........

What do otters eat in a pond?
River otters also eat freshwater mussels, crabs, crayfish, amphibians, large aquatic beetles, birds (primarily injured or molting ducks and geese), bird eggs, fish eggs, and small mammals (muskrats, mice, young beavers).

 

......and carp .......  :o

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  • 4 weeks later...

I have been searching for pictures of otters that were spotted locally but can only find shots of mink which live at places where there's access to fish and other food sources,  like waterfowl eggs . Surely some of the many nature photographers who roam the Niagara region would have got a few good shots of them ?

 A well known nature photographer , Dave Robinson, who lives in Port Dalhousie said he hasn't seen an otter in his travels . I have seen many beavers , mink and muskrats swimming right under my fishing rod in the past 20+ years . The allusive otter doesn't hang around to any particular location , so it will be a challenge to get a decent shot of these critters .  I'll be looking over my shoulder more often ....after I buy a carp alarm prop !   :ninja:

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Guest brookie slayer

Wasn't there a pic posted a few years back smerch? I believe it was a photo of a few dead otters and ?...in  Wainfleet bog or Willoughby marsh? I could be wrong...

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2 hours ago, brookie slayer said:

Wasn't there a pic posted a few years back smerch? I believe it was a photo of a few dead otters and ?...in  Wainfleet bog or Willoughby marsh? I could be wrong...

I don't recall that one but there are plenty of sightings near Lake Ontario, mostly on the north side . I checked through the Tribune & Standard archives back to 2013  and found a few local sightings but no photos. I assume they are accurate but there's the possibility of being mistaken for mink or beavers . Here's one quote .....

Jul 12, 2013
Rating
image.gifimage.gifimage.gifimage.gifimage.gif
Otter in Niagara Falls
by: Anonymous

I have property in Willoughby Marsh (Niagara Falls/Fort Erie area) with a creek that runs to the Upper Niagara river.
About 3-4 years ago Beavers moved into the marsh but seem to have moved out this spring.
This morning had an Otter on my front yard and then into the marsh. approx. 3 feet plus and guessing around 20 lbs.
First and only time...so far
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Here is a good recent incident , reminds me of a story I read a couple of years ago about a beaver attacking a kayaker I'll try to find it ,that one was a good one. here is the most recent attack.https://www.thespec.com/living-story/8318423-the-otter-seemed-cute-until-it-leaped-on-her-kayak-and-mauled-her-face/

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1 hour ago, cutthroat dan said:

i was kayaking in jordan harbour last year and seen a otter.Was certianly a otter

There's nothing stopping them from the north side of L.Ont. and following the tribs like Jordan , P.Dal.& Niagara R.

Jordan has an abundance of wild life , hence a great place to canoe /yak and paddle up to the bailey bridge . I have seen large birds nesting ....egrets , blue & green & black capped herons, etc., & shore birds like geese , swans , coots, ducks and the odd loon diving for tasty treats ....and oh yes ...plenty of cormorants ! There's plenty of bait fish in there ....fun to watch the terns launching themselves like a missile into the water ....saw an osprey take a large.... fish right beside a few canoers two years ago .....never have time to get a shot like that......

...anyone remember the "Owl Lady" just south of the train tracks ?

Dan ...what was the approx. date of your sighting ? I  hope to spend more time there this year since access will be "normal" again . I always have my camera handy.

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...anyone remember the "Owl Lady" just south of the train tracks ?

 

COUPLE OF MEMBERS OF MY FAMILY DONATE TIME,ENEGRY ECT AT THE SANCTUARY...WHEN THE TREES ARE LEAFLESS  AND YOUR ON THE WATER THERE YOU CAN SEE ALL THE CAGES AND SOME OWLS TOO.

MY WIFE DRIVES THEM UP NORTH AND RELEASES THEM AFTER THEY HAVE REHABED ...THATS PRETTY COOL!

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11 hours ago, fredfisher said:

...anyone remember the "Owl Lady" just south of the train tracks ?

 

COUPLE OF MEMBERS OF MY FAMILY DONATE TIME,ENEGRY ECT AT THE SANCTUARY...WHEN THE TREES ARE LEAFLESS  AND YOUR ON THE WATER THERE YOU CAN SEE ALL THE CAGES AND SOME OWLS TOO.

MY WIFE DRIVES THEM UP NORTH AND RELEASES THEM AFTER THEY HAVE REHABED ...THATS PRETTY COOL!

I have visited those cages Fred ....dozens of cages there when the Owl Lady was there .  Where did all those injured birds come from ??  The costs to rehab.those birds , vet costs , food ,etc . must have been a challenge . Many thanks to all those who volunteered their time !  I'd like to know if things have changed for the better or worse for bird injuries since we have all those huge windmills which may be killing (injuring) birds of all sizes .

 

4 hours ago, cutthroat dan said:

I believe it was late april, in the rock islands on north side of bay

Thanks Dan.... I did a little ice fishing there this winter ....to no avail .... :)

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There was an otter around the mouth of Forty Mile about ten years ago. First time I had seen one down here since we used to watch them playing on the bank of Navy Island as a kid with dad's spotting scope about 1960.

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Couple years ago the wife and I went down to Miners fish and chips down by the canal in Port Colborne and we seen six baby otters running down the sidewalk right next to the canal. It was a pretty cool sight to see. Last weekend I fished black creek in fort erie and had a mink run right up to me. Guess the camo hoodie I was wearing did the trick. Never seen them down here before. It' great to see animals like otters, beaver and mink making a comeback in the area

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Too many beavers in Niagara now,  causing havoc with the few remaining trees .  Some of my fishing spots are clogged with large trees and some parks have lost many trees and had to use wire mesh to stop the loss of more trees . Merritt Island has a problem now with large trees felled by beavers . This area is not a proper habitat for them .....so they will have to be trapped or relocated to places more suitable for their survival . 

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I know exactly what you mean smerchly beavers can deffenitly cause a ton of damage but playing the devil's advocate. Those trees that the pesky beavers are clogging up your fishing holes with are creating new and abundant habitat for different fish species. As long as the population is stable I say they should be trapped ( although that's a lot harder to do in Niagara than other places in Canada). For me I like seeing these furbearers that have been missing from Niagara since before I was a little kid. Just makes me feel like we are making the right steps towards conservation and protecting our natural resources.

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I also like to see them swimming by with a branch in their mouth & the slapping of their tails . I don't like to see the big healthy trees dropped into the drink by the dozens . The problem at hand is they are being forced into smaller territories as we humans demand more space for houses , condo's & shopping malls . A building boom is happening in Niagara and wet lands & forests are being destroyed as we speak . Big buck persuasion from other countries , like China take precedence over our concerns as anglers & hunters . The latest one is taking place at Crystal Beach where a 10 story condo is planned & 23 acres of housing to be built , taking with it some prime wetlands & forest  .  The beavers (otters too) plus many other species will eventually be just a memory in Niagara . The residents are trying to stop the destruction but money is always trump .  .....in the news today .....

https://www.niagarathisweek.com/news-story/8352535-waterfront-condo-top-of-mind-for-mayor-during-state-of-fort-erie-address/

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