Otterly Crazy

Sea Otter, Enhydra lutris kenyoni

I love most marine mammals but otters are in my top five favorite critters to photograph thanks to their playful nature, adorable faces and trickster attitudes. They are curious and will get into anything you might leave around - stealing boat covers, climbing up on kayaks or just popping up next to your boat to say 'Hi'.
 

 

Highly prized for their luxurious fur (850,000 to 1 million hairs per square inch) this member of the mustelidae (weasel family) was hunted to near extinction. They once numbered close to 1 million individuals but in the 1900's their population plummeted to 1-2,000. Today they have rebounded and while still threatened, it's not unusual to see otters floating along the Alaskan coastline or crunching on clams with wild abandon.

Unlike other marine mammals, otters rely on their fur to keep them warm rather than a blubber layer.  They spend quite a lot of time keeping their luxurious fur clean, tangle free and full of air bubbles.  It's a lot of fun to watch them rolling in the water as they groom.

 
The average life span of a sea otter in the wild is 10-20 years with females averaging 5 years on their male counterparts.  The oldest recorded otter in captivity lived to 28 years! As an otter ages it's fur becomes more and more blond so it's pretty easy to tell who's been around the block.

Denali National Park

I've been hidden away in my office for the last few months working on a book for the Ethiopian Wolf Project and it's finally off to the copy editor so I get to take a little break.  Today I got to drive up to Denali National Park.  I've never been able to visit late in the season before so it was a real treat to see the park wrapped in red and gold.

Tragedy in the Congo

Wildlife Conservation Network supports many conservation efforts around the world including my beloved Ethiopian wolves.  On June 24th one of their supported projects, the Okapi Conservation Project in the Congo was attacked by rebels, six people were killed as well as 13 resident Okapi.

The Congolese and UN armies have moved in and secured the area but the rebels stole all of the food and medical stores and burned down the projects buildings.  People are returning to their villages but without aid the prospects are grim.  You can read the full heart wrenching account by the OCP's Director John Lukas on the WCN website.

Please consider making a donation to the Okapi Conservation Project.  No amount is too small, they need all the help we can give them.

A Lesson in Stepping Back

Sandhill Crane portraits (L: Bosque del Apache, New Mexico R: Jensen Beach, Florida)

There is a natural progression to the life of a wildlife photographer.  When we start out we're just glad to have an animal in our frame.  As we grow we begin to watch the background, we change our angle, we get closer to our subject and then suddenly we discover the joy of a beautiful portrait.  It seems then that all we want are full frame portraits with stunning detail in the feathers and fur and soft, sweet backgrounds in beautiful golden hour light.  There is no doubt that an animal portrait when done right can make the viewer gasp in appreciation. 

Yet, how many portraits of the same animal do we really need?  What does a portrait tell us about that animal, it's environment or how it interacts with it's surroundings?  The next logical step is back. 

Sandhill Cranes waking from their night roost pre-dawn. Platte River, Nebraska

Sandhill Cranes take to the skies as the sun rises over the Platte River, Nebraska