The Charismatic River Otters of Port Townsend
Photography and Story by Sara Montour Lewis
This spring day had me roaming all over the north Sound. It was the first true warm day of the year and I was more than ready to spend the entirety of it basking in the (finally) warm rays next to our majestic Salish Sea. A tour around Whidbey Island didn’t turn up very much wildlife, so on a whim I decided to jump on the ferry at Fort Casey, enjoy the ride across the Sound, and spend the rest of the day in Port Townsend. As luck would have it I was able to spend that sunset with a couple of very hungry (and adorable!) river otters that used a close rock as a dinner plate (until the tide submerged it again as the sun set).
Pelagic cormorants near the ferry terminal at Fort Casey on Whidbey Island.
A bald eagle soaring above the Point Wilson Lighthouse with the Cascades Mountains in the background.
A very serious California sea lion floating along in the current off of Point Wilson.
Rhinocerous Auklets in breeding plumage flying towards the Strait of Juan de Fuca
A herring gull keeping an eye on the sky (with good reason, as seen below)
A bald eagle perched overhead, looking over Point Wilson
A North American river otter posing perfectly on a rock that was revealed by the low tide
😜
Dinner #1 with this North American river otter
A harbor seal taking a sunset swim at Fort Worden
Dinner #2 for this hungry guy/gal
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