There are many critters that roam the Bayou at night. If you are outside or if the windows are open, you can often hear the coyotes howling, the fox yipping and even the raccoons chittering or squealing. Occasionally, wild hogs will visit and grunt or the bobcats will snarl. Then...there are the otters. Otters make a variety of sounds. They can bark, squeak or chitter depending on their mood or the situation. The barking is an alarm that danger is near while the squeaking and chittering is usually a communication between parents and pups.
Lately, it seems as if we have more otters than ever before. Perhaps this is because we have one of the few places left where they can nest in peace. Our property has intentionally been left wooded and marshy just so the animals can feel safe here. With every other piece clear-cut and built upon, our critter friends are being pushed out of the only place they have ever known. It saddens me to think that soon nothing will be left for them.
Early this morning as I ambled down the pier, I noticed evidence that the otters had eaten well last night. Obviously, they caught plenty of mullet and hauled them to the pier for their little ones. By the amount of scat and scraps of mullet left on the pier, they must have had the entire extended family over for Thanksgiving dinner. While I love the otters, they sure can leave a mess and lots of footprints!
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