Wild Notes: Early Signs of Spring and the Challenges Ahead
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Welcome back to Wild Notes! In this series take a walk on the wild side with Kevin to see the natural world from the perspective of a seasoned naturalist.
This weekend, Julie and I were walking along a slough in a large estuary when we spotted an upwelling in the water— a telltale sign of something stirring below. We froze, hoping to catch a glimpse of what we already suspected it was. Sure enough, our patience paid off. An otter surfaced, climbed onto the opposite bank less than 15 feet away, and—after a brief glance our way—decided we weren’t worth worrying about. She then settled in to enjoy her freshly caught snack before slipping back into the water.
Reviewing my photos, I noticed something I’d only half-registered in the moment—this otter was a little rounder than most. It wasn’t until later, processing the images at home, that it finally clicked: she was pregnant. Otters in our area start giving birth in March, just weeks away. I helped raise plenty of orphaned otter pups during my wildlife rehab days, but this was my first time spotting them pre-delivery, still in their original packaging.
As the otter chewed on what looked like a mouthful of muddy fish we could see her very worn teeth which indicate she's a fairly old otter. She also had a wound on her hind foot, although it looked to be healing and did not appear to hinder her in any way.
Other wildlife encounters that day hinted that spring is creeping closer. Song Sparrows were tentatively practicing their territorial songs. Two male herons were locked in a dramatic disagreement that likely had more to do with hormones than any real offense. Eagles and swans, still mostly in winter vacation mode, perched in obvious pairs, sharing preening sessions. It may still be freezing out, but spring is definitely in the air.
These two herons got into a brawl over... nothing as far as we could tell. I assume one was in the other's favorite fishing spot or maybe they were just dealing with too much testosterone as spring approaches.
So Spring is coming, and wild babies are on the way (some are already here). Breeding season is tough on wildlife and often leads to conflicts with humans. If you’re looking for resources to help you live in harmony with wildlife check out the blog posts on our Outdoors and Wildlife.
Heron fights are pretty awkward, with a lot of jumping, flapping, and squawking, but not a lot of damage being done. This beak stab to the wing pit did seem to have an impact though.
If you want an in-depth guide on handling the most common wildlife conflicts (US Region), the Humane Society of the United States is offering free digital copies of one of the go-to books on the subject. Get your copy here: https://humanepro.org/page/wild-neighbors-book
I honestly lost track of which bird was which during the fight so I'm not sure if the original attacker or the defender ended up retreating first. The victor also left so I'm not sure what was accomplished.
Some eagles in our area are still in full on winter break mode as evidenced by their bed heads from sleeping in.
Other Bald Eagles are hanging out together and re-establishing their pair bonds. These two seemed to be having an argument about who was responsible for repairing the nest in preparation for the coming spring. Just kidding. They were doing what all the eagles in the area were doing this day. They were watching other eagles and hoping they would catch a meal so they could steal it.
Swans in our area are still far from their breeding areas, but they usually stay with their mates through the winter. This trio flying in front of the rising sun included two adults and one juvenile, likely their offspring.
Swans in our area are still far from their breeding areas, but they usually stay with their mates through the winter. This trio flying in front of the rising sun included two adults and one juvenile, likely their offspring.
Another look at the mated pair as one asks the other for a hug. Actually... that bird is just shaking out its feathers to realign them after preening.
Trumpeter Swans enjoy waterskiing while on winter break. Actually, that's not true. This is just a swan demonstrating the safest way to get 25-30 pounds of bird out of the air and onto the water.
Bonus picture of two Trumpeter Swans who haven't seen each other since last winter break and are now greeting one another with a hug. Or, they just preened like the bird in the earlier photo. I'll let you decide.