The darkish, sinuous physique slipped up and down, via the patch of water lilies. I watched because it surfaced, with a big fish in its mouth. The River Otter had captured a high-quality meal. However, I wasn’t the one watcher. A Tricolored Heron (pictured above) flew over, within the hope of sharing within the meal.
River Otter with its dinner
I used to be visiting Fred W. Coyle Freedom Park in Naples, Florida. It was a wonderful January day to be out birding. I used to be desirous to see what was round in one in every of my native winter patches. Being a “snowbird” has its advantages!
Male Anhinga
Freedom Park isn’t massive, nevertheless it presents quite a lot of habitats. There’s a wooded space, which is dwelling to Barred Owl and Pileated Woodpecker. There are swampy areas, with the Northern Waterthrush and White Ibis. The marsh is dwelling to Anhinga and Limpkin. The canal space all the time has a pair of Loggerhead Shrikes, together with waders equivalent to Nice Egret and Wooden Stork. On the paths, I’ve stunned some Marsh Rabbits. Within the largest pond, there are normally an alligator or two. Many the time, I’ve had individuals come as much as me, asking a couple of hen or the place is the alligator. As one girl advised her pal, “The birders know every part”.
Wooden Stork
On that January day, I watched the hunter drag its prey up onto the water’s edge. It began consuming the fish, wolfing down pores and skin, flesh and bones. Because the heron flew in, the otter dragged the fish farther away. The heron moved nearer. The otter was bored with the dance and lunged on the heron. The hen flew onto the boardwalk railing and was left to ponder the fish within the water beneath.
Otter vs. Tricolored Heron
Within the coming months, I’ll be writing once more from my winter dwelling, sharing the delights of winter birding in SW Florida.
Notice: All photographs by Leslie Kinrys