As I watched the sunset over the creek tonight I encountered the most beautiful surprise: a pair of river otters! I’ve only seen them once before, at low tide, and certainly did not expect to find them swimming around during high tide this evening.
I often use my camera as binoculars when nature watching, which is how I identified the otters tonight. Less than twenty feet from our dock I noticed two small, dark blobs bobbing on top of the water. I immediately zoomed in with my camera to see what it was. It wasn’t until they submerged their heads underwater that I realized they were otters (not trash) floating in the creek. 
Below photo shows the head and tail/body of a mature river otter.
Earlier today I’d noticed an indention in the swampy mud that created a stream during low tide from the outer banks of the creek, directly under where these otters were now swimming. At the time I thought perhaps a raccoon had left a trail in the creek while digging for fiddler crabs, but in hindsight there’s a good chance a family of sliding river otters had left the path from their borough at the water ‘s edge.
I am delighted to record sighting these river otters on Futch Creek, as their range and numbers across the country have been drastically reduced as a result of habitat loss and their sensitivity to environmental pollution. The river otters averagely weigh between 10-30 pounds and usually extend 26-42 inches in length (with their tails ranging between 10-24 inches long). “Otters swim by propelling themselves with their powerful tails and flexing their long bodies. They also have webbed feet, water repellent fur to keep them dry and warm, and nostrils and ears that close in the water.”
They prefer to eat fish and use their whiskers to help detect fish in brackish waters. River otters can remain underwater for up to 8 minutes, “swim at speeds approaching 11 km/h, dive to depths nearing 20 meters, and travel up to 400 meters while underwater. Several river otters may even cooperate while fishing.” While fish predominantly compose their diet, their diet may also include “fruits, reptiles and amphibians, birds, aquatic insects, small mammals, and mollusks.”
Out of the water, river otters can walk, run, slide and jump. River otters are also renowned for their playful manner. Although, the otter photographed tonight most certainly seemed to be searching for its dinner. After we spotted each other it primarily spent it’s time swimming under water, only showing its head one or two more times.
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