RIVER OTTER LIKES ANCHOR PARK with UPDATE 3-5-15

A River Otter has shown up two days in a row at Anchor Park at Duwamish Head in West Seattle.  The otter has a damaged left hind foot (or it may be a growth due to eating fish from Elliott Bay) but it does not seem to hinder the otter's normal activities.  Sand baths and grooming seem to be the main activities while the otter is on the beach.  We observed the otter feeding on a Flounder (species not identified) on rocks just east of Anchor Park.  After two appearances on the beach and lunch the otter moved under the large rip-rap boulders for an afternoon nap.  We will be checking this spot again in the coming days to see if this turns out to me a regular sand bath and eating location for this otter.
NOTE:  When looking at the image of the otter eating the flounder it's good to remember what the Department of Health states: 
"Eat no more than two meals per month of flatfish/bottom fish from Elliott Bay".

 Update:
The otter has been named "Otto"   But it could be a female, and has been at Anchor Park every day (Feb 24 through March 4th) entertaining hundreds of people who stop to watch as they do the Alki Trial on bike, foot, roller blades and skateboards.  Otto is comfortable with people as close as 30 feet as they watch from street level down at the beach.....a warning sign has be posted at the top of the stairs to the beach to keep people and dogs from disturbing Otto.  Dogs are not allowed on any Seattle Park's beaches at any time leashed or unleashed. 
We have been monitoring Otto's routine and it goes mostly like this:  Otto rests on the beach drying off and sleeping and marking his territory with both poop and urine (these periods last approximately 1 hour).  Otto then goes into the water and swims directly out from the beach about 1/3 of a mile where he fishes over the sandy bottom for flounder.  These fishing episodes usually last about 1/2 
hour to 1 hour.  After catching a flounder Otto then returns to the beach about 1/4 mile west of his resting area and exits with the fish onto rocks next to the sea wall where he eats the catch...he sometimes goes into a drainage pipe the extends from the wall and eats there.  Otto usually feeds for about 1/2 hour or less and then returns to the sandy beach at Duwamish Head to rest and dry off.
This pattern repeats a number of times each day.  At the end of the day's activity Otto will sometimes cross Alki Ave. and go into the Alki Greenbelt where he most likely has a den.  Crossing the street is by far the most dangerous time for Otto as traffic can be heavy.  The Seattle Department of Transportation has been requested to place signage to warn driver of the otters crossing the street at a number of points.  Otto did this same routine at DH in early February and then was not seen at Duwamish Head until February 24th.  So we expect the Otto may move on to a new area again anytime and may or may not return to Duwamish Head in the future.  New Images posted below.
UPDATE 3/6/15
Otto went fishing at 9:30am Friday and did not return to the beach the rest of the day.  He may have moved on to another part of his home range.  More after we check on Saturday.
No sign of Otto on Saturday.
UPDATE 3/15/15
Otto was back at Duwamish Head on 3/14 doing his normal routine.  However this time he added something we had not seen yet to his diet.  A juvenile male Big Skate was consumed.

Otto feeding on Big Skate

 

River Otter

Sand bath

Left hind foot (damage or growth)

At foot of Anchor Park stairs

Feeding on flounder

Feeding on flounder

More Flounder for lunch

Otto marks his territory (always facing the same direction in the same spot)

Back to work catching flounder

Otto on the hunt

Left hind foot (damage or growth)

Yum...Flounder

SKAGIT DELTA BIRD TRIP 1-26-15 AND STRANGE WEATHER

Anyone who has been watching the Weather Channel lately knows all about the big Nor'easter dumping lots of snow in the NE.  The story here in Seattle gets very little play but is just as amazing weather wise.
The temperature at night over Western Washington at 5,000 feet is higher than the average July temperature at the same altitude.  Seattle temperature on Monday reached 65 degrees.  I took advantage of this June in January weather for a trip up to the Skagit Delta to see the winter birds.
We searched high and low for Snow Geese but only observed on large flock in the air south of the delta.  Trumpeter Swans were more abundant that I've ever seen on the Skagit, and a few dozen Tundra Swans were present.  The most unusual sighting was a Long-eared Owl. being observed by a couple dozen bird watchers.
This warm weather (which is predicted to remain for the rest of winter) bodes badly for the snowpack in both the Cascade and Olympic mountains...and for water this Summer.  What is even more disastrous is the drought in California which has worsened this winter.  This is a much bigger story than a short time snow storm in New England.
Well....at least it was a good day for photography....

Long-eared Owl

Mt. Baker

Northern Harrier

Northern Harrier

Trumpeter Swan

Red-tailed Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Northern Harrier

Northern Harrier

Trumpeter Swan

Long-eared Owl

Skagit Delta bird watchers at Long-eared Owl roost
 

CALIFORNIA GRAY WHALE DIES FROM SHIP STRIKE IN PUGET SOUND

The body of a California Gray Whale was located under the Colman Ferry Terminal dock on Seattle's Waterfront this week.  The whale was a female approximately 2-3 years old an in excellent health prior to being struck by the ships propeller.  There were 6 deep gashes in the whale that were determined by scientists to have been the cause of death. 
The California Gray Whale population is considered healthy and not endangered.  Whales die of natural causes and wash ashore occasionally on Puget Sound beaches.  It is sad however to see a healthy whale killed due to contact with humans.  It is unlikely that the ship ever saw the whale or even knew it had hit it.
The whale had likely been dead only a few days or less before being discovered under the Colman Ferry Terminal dock so was likely hit by a ship near Seattle.
California Gray Whales migrate between Baja California and the Arctic each year.  Calves are born on the winter grounds in Baja lagoons and make the first trip north with their mothers.  After feeding in Arctic waters during the Summer ice free months the whales make the return journey to Baja California lagoons for another season of mating and birthing.
California Gray Whales are not uncommon seasonally in Puget Sound and small numbers are found every year feeding on ghost shrimp in the Everett area during the Spring months. 
While uncommon the rest of the year in Puget Sound Gray Whales have been seen in the Sound every month of the year.
For more information on this whale and images of the necropsy click on the link below:

http://blubberblog.org/files/fb7e43fb87cae1da207203475263f9bc-638.html


Below are some images of the Gray Whale including a few of a necropsy conducted on a whale that died near Tacoma WA in 1991.

California Gray Whale

California Gray Whale blow

California Gray Whale head - paired blowholes

California Gray Whales in Baja California lagoon

California Gray Whale approaching boat

Amphipods - main food of Gray Whales in Arctic waters

 

New born Gray Whale in Baja California

Gray Whale baleen (1991)

Gray Whale testes (1991)

39 foot Gray Whale from Tacoma (1991)

Gray Whale intestines (1991)

Sand in Gray Whale stomach (1991)

Gray Whale necropsy (1991)

Gray Whale necropsy (1991)

Gray Whale blubber and skin (1991)

THE RAIN SHADOW

I noticed that this week of Jan 4th 2015 will bring another Arctic blast down on much of the country with even Atlanta, GA forecasting below zero temp.
Meanwhile Western Washington has made the news with massive flooding on many rivers,  With flooded down towns, mud slides, road washouts....all thanks to that Pineapple Express weather system from Hawaii.  Our low temps this week will be in the mid 40's with highs in the 50's...quite warm even for our marine climate.  Much of our snow pack has been washed away and many ski areas are closed.  It was happening just as forecast....warmer winter due to moderate El Nino and the huge blob of warm water in the NE Pacific Ocean.
But while Western Washington was taking it in the shorts with extremely heavy rains Seattle was sitting in a tiny (city size) rain shadow provided by the Olympic Mountains.  This happens whenever the rain and clouds come directly from the west rather than the more common pattern from the southwest.  To get some idea of how strange this rain pattern can be in Western Washington you only have to look at a radar image.....Blue is rain, Green is heavier rain, Yellow is heavy rain....White is dry.
This radar image is from January 4th but is the same on January 5th.

Stay Warm,

GROOVED CLAM SHELL MYSTERY

Back in May I posted on the grooved clam shell mystery.  We have been asking around the marine biology community for ideas on what might be causing this and have come up with one hypothesis that seems reasonable to lots of folks.....but beware we have no smoking gun.

Hypothesis:

The clam shells are being grooved by moon snails.
Moon snails normally drill very specifically located holes in clam shells during feeding with the radula organ.
The grooves are in the same size area as the normally drilled holes.
Moon snails feed on clams that are sometimes "contaminated" with PSP toxin.
Moon snails bio-accumulate the toxin in their bodies.
The toxin may be affecting the moon snails nervous system causing the snails to loose the ability to drill holes in the proper location and causing the random grooves in the shells.
Many thanks for Betsy Peabody, Brady Blake and Camille Speck and Robert Paine, Alan Kohn and a host of others for ruminating on this and providing valuable input.
In an interesting connection with this hypothesis there is a quote in the book "Teachings of the Tides" from a 93 year of Manhousat tribal member (west side of Vancouver Is.).  He states that the Manhousat people (who ate most things found in the intertidal) would not eat moon snails because they believed that if you did you would become "stupid".  This may have basis in fact since the accumulated PSP toxin in the snails could affect the nervous system of humans if consumed....making them "stupid".
This is a fascinating little book about what the Manhousat people collected, how they collected and prepared items from the intertidal for food.  You can get it at Amazon (used for about $20 - or buy a new copy for $2,432 plus shipping - you would think they could at least offered free shipping).

HAPPY HOLIDAYS