Right in My Backyard! Otter MANIA!

A few weeks ago when I spotted otters in the Everglades I about had to drag a boy away from the pond as he stood watching a mother and her pups play. The father attempted to verbally pry him away from this naturalist's oasis by suggesting with all seriousness "we see otters all the time at home". Turns out he was thinking of beavers - but anyway.

Sitting here in my hive like home of an apartment complex - I looked out the window into the little sludge pond (with fountain!), ringed by the rest of the honeycomb homes and spotted an undulating creature bounding about the Muscovey Ducks and splashing in the water. OTTER!

I darted out to see if I could get a glimpse and watched as a mother and her four pups fished and played for 30 minutes before deciding to beat the traffic and head down the road. I've seen Otter slide down a mud or snow embankment but had never seen one slide up. Mama pushed herself up the grass as easy as if she were sliding down

and led her pups through the breezeway, across the parking lot and into the sludge canal (that probably comes from the sewage treatment plant. yaaay!) Next time I see Otters in the Everglades I can dismiss them and say "I have those in my backyard"