Sea otters where are you? « Sea Otter Scoop
May 14th, 2010
“I’ve got a groomer,” Michelle calls out. I look over the top of my binoculars to see which direction she’s pointing, and try to focus in the same way. Nothing but kelp, a few cormorants, and the dizzying rolling of the waves. I turn my binoculars back in the direction I had them, but my own otter–a feeder–must have dived back down for another course. The wind blows, adding an icy chill to the gray sky day.
I had the opportunity to go out otter counting yesterday–Michelle Staedler from the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s SORAC program and Jack Ames from Fish and Game were kind enough to let me join them on a leg of their spring otter count. The count is coordinated by USGS’ Western Ecological Research Center