I'm assuming that the cold played a big part in this cease-firing of the cameras. The temperatures in the past week have been very cold for northern Virginia. 17 degrees a few nights ago, to be exact, was the coldest I've seen it here so far this year. That's clearly cold enough to freeze batteries for a few nights.
The good news however, was at another camera where river otters finally appeared.
These pictures are stills that I captured from a video. They were only in front of the camera for a few quick seconds, so I thought a few pictures might be better than posting the video.
It took some hard work and patience to do this set correctly and it really paid off. Hopefully I'll be able to keep my camera there in the spring when this resident otter couple might have some young.
As for now, I moved the camera a bit higher so that rising water levels don't have the chance to interfere with it. Hopefully in a few weeks, I'll have even more pictures of otters to share with a slightly different view at the same site.
Very nice! You're a lucky SOB for a rookie camera trapper, to get otters so quickly! Good job, looking forward to other pics.
ReplyDeleteYeah I'm hoping for some baby otters come spring so keep checking. Have you had any luck with otters anywhere besides the one set you wrote about with glittering the scat?
DeleteSo I'm about 4 hours from that location now. I live across the state in Schoharie County for school. I don't really know any prime otter habitat here, nor any safe locations to leave my cameras. I did get my first and only otter pictures about 25 minutes away from that location last spring. I was doing a study with camera traps studying species diversity of medium and large mammals, as well as circadian rhythms. I got 2 pictures of otter and they were not nearly as good as yours. Here's the link:
Deletehttp://bearlyalyssa.blogspot.com/2012/04/two-new-critters.html
Very nice. I didn't realize you were all over the state that much for the research and camera trapping. I'm doing my camera trapping in a few parks around me in about a 16 mile radius. And thanks for that link! I was looking on your blog trying to find some more otter pics!
DeleteCute! I just finished college in the Baltimore-DC area, and had no idea the region was full of otters. They are so amazing!
ReplyDeleteJulia,
DeleteThanks for checking out my blog! These otters have instantly became one of my most favorite animals and I'm glad you have enjoyed the pictures as well.
Great pictures! I found your blog when looking around the Internet for other instances of river otter sightings in Fairfax County. A few of us in the Lake Barcroft neighborhood (near Falls Church) have seen what looks like a pair of river otters in the lake over the past few weeks--first time in recent memory that anyone has spotted them here. No pictures yet, but there are avid wildlife photographers in the neighborhood who may be able to get some photos.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteYeah river otters are around. The key for me was walking around a bit and finding a their den. The den will be covered with otter scat (which will always contain fish scales or crayfish shells in this area). Keep me updated as to what you find there!
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