Lontra Canadensis

Spring is in the air. 

In an earlier blog entitled "The Dead of Winter", I mentioned how everything had become so incredibly still over the winter. It's so different from the city out here. In Toronto, it doesn't matter what time of year it is - there are always millions of squirrels squirreling about, rounded-back raccoons scurrying over our roofs and through the alleyways at dusk, pigeons riding the subways, sparrows chirping, cats strutting... and dogs, well, abounding.

I've been very lonely out here these past few months, though I must admit that our neighbors have welcomed us with the kindest, widest open arms, for which I am so very grateful.

The weather over the past few days has been absolutely lovely. A balmy high of 10 degrees Celsius and a bright sunshine that entices rivulets to flow by the sides of the road. So after hanging some laundry out to dry in the sun this morning, Emma, Chico and I headed out for a walk to the wetlands.

The birds were singing in a multitude of voices. I caught a glance of a beautiful little gray and white Finch. Some geese traveling back North could be heard in the distance. The crows were crowing. There must have been a dozen of them up there in the sky at once. Emma was sniffing the air.

Suddenly, I gazed over the marsh and beheld Lontra Canadensis (identified over the internet after I came home). It was sitting on the edge of the ice, peering into the water. I paused. Emma was still sniffing the air. Chico barked. (Though neither dog actually saw this creature, I suspect they both smelled it.) Lontra Canadensis hurriedly dove into the water. I saw it resurfacing for a breath of air and dive again, its rounded back gracefully emerging out of the water for a second or two. I moved along, keeping an eye on the marsh and caught glimpses of it emerging and disappearing a few more times. The North American River Otter.


According to naturewatch.ca, "otters fare poorly in areas of human disturbance and have become extirpated from southwestern Ontario because of habitat loss, over-harvesting, and pollution. Monitoring otter populations is recommended as a biological indicator of the health of aquatic ecosystems."

 (I succeeded in snapping a picture when I went back around noon. Lontra was eating a catch and dove back in to continue his hunt.)

Shortly after that, I saw a small creature hopping towards us on the edge of the ice. At first I thought it was a squirrel, until it, too, dove into the water. It swam a bit, jumped back out onto the ice, and Emma caught sight of it. She stood up on her hind legs pulling on her leash, looking like a lemur watching it go. This new creature seemed like a tiny teeny version of the river otter. Mustela vison - the American mink. Back in the city, one of these minks decimated my father-in-law's koi population, one at a time, over eighteen days, by "fishing" in his beautiful backyard pond. There was nothing he could do to protect his beloved fish as all wildlife is protected in the city (except for mice and rats, of course).


Later, I saw a pheasant walking in the woods. And a dead snake by the mill.

I doubt this poor fella came out for the hot sunshine. His corpse must just now be thawing out from last Fall.

I'm looking forward to all the wildlife I'll get to know this coming Spring and Summer.  Archie - the walker - and I had a chat out front a few days ago, when I had to go rescue him from Emma's attacks again (he keeps saying it's fine, that she's a good dog just doing her job). Anyway, he mentioned that big, long fish (two-footers!) are coming - in about a couple of weeks (silly I can't recall what kind). And that soon, loads of huge snapper turtles will be traveling through and coming out onto the roads to greet us.

Oh March... I beg of you to forgo the snow altogether and bring us more of this warm sunshine!