One recent morning, when the daytime temperature was predicted to get close to 100F, I woke up half an hour early and took my walk before work.
As I neared my turnaround point, I spotted something on the other side of the canal. It was an otter. When I first saw him, he was grooming himself. He looked up at me and hissed, before resuming his task. The first few photos I took were through the chain link fence, then I managed to get close enough to the fence to take these photos over the fence.
Photo copyright 2021 by Vanessa Kier
Photo copyright 2021 by Vanessa Kier
The otter in the water was eating something pinkish when I first spotted it. Soon after, the otter on the land dove into the water. It looked up at me, maybe checking that I still wasn’t a threat, before they disappeared into the tunnel that leads the water to the next open stretch of canal about two blocks away.
It was one of those encounters that sent me away with a big grin on my face. A wonderful way to start my day.
