More West Seattle wildlife: Otter-ly surprising sighting

When it rains (animal photos), it pours. Not long after last night’s coyote photo/report from Gatewood (which followed Wednesday’s Admiral chickens and Seaview frog), the WSB inbox yielded otter photos and report from Jennifer on Beach Drive:

Today I was happily baking in my kitchen, when I looked over and saw a sea otter
sitting outside my door! Amazing! I took some pictures as the otter traveled around the back of our house exploring. After about 10 minutes, the otter climbed up into the springs greenery behind our property. Truly amazing to live in a place with access to such sights. We live on the 5000 block of Beach Drive [map] and NOT on the water side. So how did that cute otter get across the street? One wonders? … I wonder if there have been additional
otter sightings this week?

Even before you start typing a comment – don’t worry, we did let Jennifer know that it’s RIVER otters, not sea otters, who live among us (state info sheet here). But we seldom see photos, so hers are a bonus.

16 Replies to "More West Seattle wildlife: Otter-ly surprising sighting"

  • miws June 4, 2010 (5:54 am)

    Thanks for specifying the species.

    .

    That otter save a lot of confusion.

    .

    Mike

  • Eilene Hutchinson June 4, 2010 (7:55 am)

    Thank you for sharing photos of this cute little guy (gal?).

    .

    We do live in an area with a wonderful variety of wildlife. And, with the chickens and goats posted the other day, not so wildlife :).

  • GWS June 4, 2010 (8:10 am)

    Looks like a river otter. They always seem to be having a great time.

  • Lura Ercolano June 4, 2010 (9:01 am)

    River otters are known to live on the hill above beach drive. Sometimes they come down to the beach to fish, especially when a large litter makes them search farther than normal for their food, but apparently there’s plenty for them to eat up on the hill.

  • SarahScoot June 4, 2010 (9:09 am)

    I’ve seen these guys scurry across Beach Drive and even Alki Ave. several times. And remember a while back – maybe a year or more – when WSB mentioned an otter who’d been run over on Alki Ave.? Apparently there’s something that makes it worthwhile for them to put themselves in danger by crossing those roads.

  • Rick June 4, 2010 (9:53 am)

    When I lived west of Duwamish head years ago I used to see them occasionally. A longtime resident of the area had told me that there’s an old network of drainage pipes in the hillside where some of them reside.

  • Lou June 4, 2010 (10:42 am)

    What’s the difference between a river otter and a nutria? When I lived in West Seattle, I used to see those quite frequently.

  • twirl-a-whirl June 4, 2010 (12:33 pm)

    River Otter and Nutria: two different species of animal. Google it or Wiki it and you’ll see their definitions.

  • madashell June 4, 2010 (12:45 pm)

    sarahscoot, of course it’s to get to the other side!

  • Babs June 4, 2010 (2:38 pm)

    Crossing for fish and chips!

  • lenguamor June 4, 2010 (4:30 pm)

    Pretty amazing; I never even knew they ventured far past the shore. I hope the little guy made it back across okay.

  • AlkiResident June 4, 2010 (7:04 pm)

    How wonderful!! We had an otter family at Alki for several years and I have many photos. They were a delight to all the neighborhood until a guy with a mansion up on the hillside behind us had a trapper come and kill them.

  • Noelle June 4, 2010 (7:26 pm)

    Wow! That is part of what makes West Seattle Great!

  • ltfd June 4, 2010 (8:28 pm)

    There is a fairly healthy population of river otters around Seattle. Two years ago, several river otters were hanging out around the Fire Station 5 dock, damaging equipment in their continual state of curious rambunctiousness.
    .
    The city contacted Aquarium personnel who directed the city to the USDA. A few days later, traps were placed, the otters quickly caught, and the offending property vandals entered the otter version of a “witness relocation program”.
    .
    http://www.katu.com/outdoors/featured/30994624.html

  • Dan'a June 5, 2010 (10:54 am)

    We have several around our house above Beach Dr.
    I love them.
    A little advice to those with large drainage pipes in the area; if you have a drainage cistern/pipe/hole in your yard, make sure the keep mesh cover is on securely or one of these little fellas might end up getting stuck in it.
    My neighbour had that happen. Not only did the poor Otter die, but the overflow flooded his house!

  • Jenny DB June 11, 2010 (2:29 pm)

    Oh man, so cute! Looks just like the guys we helped raise from pups at Sarvey wildlife – they were released about a month ago. Such spirited animals!

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